The Effect of Using Distractor Cards and Thermochromic Cards on Pain, Fear, Anxiety and Procedure Time in Children Receiving Inhaler Therapy

THE EFFECT OF USİNG DİSTRACTOR CARDS AND THERMOCHROMİC CARDS ON PAİN, FEAR, ANXİETY AND PROCEDURE TİME İN CHİLDREN RECEİVİNG INHALER THERAPY. Respiratory illnesses in children are a leading cause of childhood morbidity and mortality worldwide. Organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that millions of children are hospitalized each year due to respiratory illnesses (He, Wang, \& Zhang, 2025). A large proportion of these illnesses are caused by viral agents, and pathogens such as Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), influenza, and rhinoviruses pose serious health threats to young children (Chen, Zhang, \& Li, 2024). This study will be one of the rare studies in pediatric nursing that examines the effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions that can be applied during inhaler therapy in young age groups. The findings will contribute to nurses developing effective methods to reduce the negative emotions experienced by children during treatment. Furthermore, the first-ever use of thermochromic cards in this context in pediatric nursing will provide an innovative perspective on pediatric nursing practices. H0: Thermochromic cards and distraction cards used during inhaler therapy have no effect on pain, fear, anxiety levels, or processing time. Thermochromic cards used during inhaler therapy: H1: reduce the child's pain. H2: reduce the child's fear. H3: reduce the child's anxiety level. H4: shorten the child's processing time. Distraction cards used during inhaler therapy: H5: reduce the child's pain. H6: reduce the child's fear. H7: reduce the child's anxiety level. H8: shorten the child's processing time.