# Implementation of family-centered care in Pediatric Gastroscopy

## TL;DR

This study shows that family-centered care during pediatric gastroscopy improves cooperation, reduces anxiety, and leads to better long-term outcomes for children.

## Contribution

The study demonstrates that implementing family-centered care in pediatric gastroscopy improves clinical and psychological outcomes compared to standard care.

## Key findings

- FCC significantly increased procedural cooperation and reduced procedure duration in pediatric patients.
- FCC reduced anxiety and physiological stress responses compared to standard care.
- FCC improved patient and caregiver satisfaction and reduced gastrointestinal symptom recurrence.

## Abstract

To evaluate the implementation of the family-centered care(FCC) model in pediatric patients undergoing diagnostic procedures for gastric disorders.

This retrospective study analyzed complete medical records of pediatric patients presenting with gastrointestinal symptoms and undergoing painless gastroscopy at Maternity & Child Care Center of Qinhuangdao between January 2024 to June 2025. Ninety children who received FCC and 90 who received standard care were included using concealed allocation and a single-blind design. Primary outcomes included procedural cooperation and duration, anxiety levels, physiological stress markers, parental knowledge scores, postoperative satisfaction at one-month follow-up, incidence of adverse events and recurrence of gastrointestinal symptoms.

The cooperation rate in the FCC group was significantly higher compared with the standard care group(P< 0.05). The procedural duration was also significantly shorter in the FCC group(P< 0.05). Baseline SAI and TAI scores did not differ significantly between groups(both P> 0.05); however, post-intervention scores were significantly lower in the FCC group, with more pronounced differences in SAI scores(P< 0.001). Increases in SBP, DBP and HR after the procedure were significantly greater in the standard care group than in the FCC group(all P< 0.001). One-month follow-up showed that the FCC group had significantly better scores in patient and caregiver satisfaction, lower incidence of adverse events and reduced recurrence of gastrointestinal symptoms (all P< 0.001).

The use of the FCC model in pediatric gastroscopy may significantly enhance patient cooperation and procedural safety, reduce anxiety and physiological stress responses, strengthen parental caregiving competence and improve long-term outcomes.