Children’s Drawings With Narratives in the Hospital Setting: Insights Into the Patient Experience

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To explore PICU patients’ experiences and perceptions through their drawings with explanatory narratives. METHODS: Single-center prospective study in a 14-bed PICU in a tertiary care, academic-affiliated hospital. Pediatric patients age 6 to 17 years admitted to the PICU were approached to participate within 12 hours of transfer out of the PICU. Patients completed a brief study interview to identify the best and worst things about their PICU experience. Patients were asked to draw a picture of their experiences and then explain their drawings to study staff. RESULTS: Forty patients (median age 11 [6–17] years) agreed to participate. The median length of PICU stay was 2 days. The best aspects of the PICU stay included staff (25%), entertainment devices (15%), and food (13%). The worst aspects of the PICU stay that were reported were the intravenous line (25%), alarms (10%), and physical discomfort (10%). The most common elements in drawings were self-depictions (88%), monitors (53%), the intravenous line (50%), registered nurses (35%), and television (33%). Patient narratives related to their drawings provided additional insights regarding patient experiences in the PICU and identified various coping mechanisms used by patients to adapt to their experiences. CONCLUSIONS: Drawing, along with explanation, enables patients admitted to a PICU to disclose additional unique descriptive information about their experiences as patients. Facilitating this mode of communication may increase providers’ awareness of positive and negative aspects of a PICU admission and may be used to improve pediatric patients’ experiences in the hospital setting.