Development and evaluation of an illustrated paediatric leaflet ‘Coming to Hospital: a guide to what goes on’ (26 March 2025)

Summary

High-quality written information for patients can improve their experience of what’s involved in a hospital visit by reducing uncertainty and anxiety. However, there may be unintended consequences of providing this information: for example patients may become concerned about things they had not previously considered.

Although many hospitals recognise the need to provide information to patients who are children and their parents or carers, most locally developed leaflets have not been formally evaluated.

This study involved the development of an information leaflet to give to children aimed at answering common questions they may have about going into hospital, and then evaluating the intended and unintended consequences of the distribution of the leaflet.

Content

A leaflet called “Coming to hospital: a guide to what goes on” was produced in partnership with Usborne Publishing, aimed at helping paediatric patients understand what to expect about admission to hospital and to help them feel calmer about it. It was based on an Usborne book “Look inside a Hospital” and was distributed to paediatric patients (aged 4–14) at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

A questionnaire was developed to assess patients’ views on the leaflet. The questionnaire used an emoji scale to determine what emotions the leaflet elicited, open-ended questions to gain more detailed responses, and a section for parents or carers to provide comments.

There were 3,000 copies of the leaflet printed and distributed, and 72 children were involved in the evaluation.

Parents and carers were positive about the leaflet, and particularly about the writing, illustrations and explanations. Many said they wished they had seen it before they attended hospital.

Overall, the leaflet was positively received by children and parents, and was not reported to provoke anxiety or significant numbers of new questions. In response to suggestions, the word ‘patient’ was changed to personal pronouns throughout the leaflet and other helpful sections on subjects such as visiting times and parking were added.

Wider availability of the leaflet to paediatric inpatient populations could make children feel calmer on admission to hospital. Further research on the effects of this leaflet in more diverse populations would be welcome, along with whether disease-specific leaflets would be beneficial.

Download the leaflet