Aims and objectives. To illuminate children’s experiences prior to colonoscopy. Background. It is well known that children need to be well prepared before undergoing stressful medical procedures, and the goal of such preparations should focus on minimising their level of anxiety. The clinical investigation of children with suspected inflammatory bowel disease involves several steps, with colonoscopy being routinely used to investigate the colon and the lower part of the small intestine. To minimise children’s anxiety during various medical procedures, it is important that information about their experiences is obtained directly from the children themselves. Design. A qualitative study. Method. The study was designed as a qualitative interview study involving 17 children aged 10–17 years undergoing colonoscopy at a children’s university hospital in Sweden. Verbatim transcripts were analysed using content analysis. Results. The children’s experiences prior to colonoscopy were identified as belonging to an overall theme, a private affair, and to four categories: preparing yourself, mastering the situation, reluctantly participating and feeling emotional support. Conclusion. This study shows that children’s experiences prior to colonoscopy are a private affair and that the preparation needs to be individually adapted for the ‘preprocedural’ preparation to be comprehended. Relevance to clinical practice. The children’s experiences ascertained in this study can contribute to a greater understanding of children’s needs prior to a colonoscopy and may provide professional care staff with the basis for future nursing assessments.

Purpose. The purpose was to illuminate parents’ experiences when their children are undergoing an elective colonoscopy performed using polyethylene glycol-based regimes for bowel preparation. Design and Methods. Individual interviews with 12 parents were performed and analysed using content analysis. Results. The parents’ experiences were structured into one theme: “Charged with conflicting emotions” with three categories: “Being forced to force,” “Losing one’s sense of being a parent” and “Standing without guidance.” Practice Implications. Understanding parents’ experiences can help healthcare staff guide parents in helping their children undergo a colonoscopy

Objectives: The purpose of this randomised study was to compare the quality of bowel cleansing using either polyethylene glycol (PEG) or sodium picosulphate (NaPico) (primary outcome) in relation to the tolerability and acceptance of these laxatives among children and their caregivers (secondary outcome). Methods: The study was a randomised controlled trial that was conducted as an investigator-blinded study within the Department of Paediatrics of Ska°ne University Hospital in Malmo¨ , Sweden. A total of 72 children (10–18 years of age) were randomly placed into 1 of 2 groups (PEG or NaPico). The Ottawa Bowel Preparation Quality Score was used to evaluate the quality of bowel cleansing. A total of 2 different questionnaires were used to evaluate both the acceptability and tolerability of the laxatives. Results: In total, 71 children completed the bowel cleansing. Of these 71 cleanses, 67 protocols were analysed according to the Ottawa Bowel Preparation Quality Score. No significant difference in bowel cleansing quality was detected between the 2 groups. Rates of acceptability and tolerability were significantly higher in the NaPico group than in the PEG group. Conclusions: In the present study, both laxatives were found to be satisfactory in terms of aiding the performance of an uncomplicated and successful colonoscopy. NaPico was, however, more tolerable to the children than PEG, and both, the children and their caregivers, were more accepting of NaPico than of PEG. Consequently, NaPico can be recommended as the option for bowel cleansing in children ages 10 years and older. Key Words: bowel cleansing, children, colonoscopy, randomised controlled trial

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is increasing in children. When this lifelong illness is diagnosed in childhood, especially during adolescence, it may have a negative impact on children's quality of life. The aim of the present study was to illuminate the meaning of children's lived experience of ulcerative colitis. Seven children aged between 10 and 18 years were recruited from University Hospital South Sweden and interviewed about the phenomenon under scrutiny. Data were analyzed by means of a phenomenological hermeneutical method. The meaning of the children's lived experience of ulcerative colitis was summed up as a main theme. A daily struggle to adapt and be perceived as normal consisted of 4 subthemes: being healthy despite the symptoms, being healthy despite being afraid, being healthy despite a sense of being different, and being healthy despite needing support. The children strove to perceive themselves as healthy, and they needed to be perceived as healthy, especially when experiencing symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease. Children with inflammatory bowel disease confront various problems, such as ambitions and goals that are hard to achieve, due to reduced abilities as a result of the illness or an insufficiently adapted environment.