Storytelling as a Therapeutic Resource in Paediatric Nursing Care: A Scoping Review

Purpose: Storytelling (ST) can be used to achieve a more holistic approach to childcare. Nurses are essential in using it, but a deeper understanding of its benefits and how to use it with children and adolescents is needed. We aim to map how ST is conceptualized and implemented in pediatric nursing care, and to identify the interventions and outcomes associated with ST.Design: Scoping review. Review Methods: This analysis used Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses—Extension for Scoping Reviews.Findings: A total of 17 articles were included in this review from our initial sample of 1898 articles. Quality appraisal scores ranged from 28 to 35. Most studies evaluated the effectiveness or impact of ST use primarily in the hospital setting. ST can integrate nursing interventions, namely: anxiety reduction; bibliotherapy; distraction; health literacy enhancement; sleep enhancement; socialization enhancement; and teaching: preoperative.Conclusions: ST is crucial in enhancing children's understanding of the health-disease process, fostering acceptance of their condition, and promoting therapeutic engagement and adherence to treatment. It is a resource to alleviate the fear, desolation, apathy, and suffering of hospitalized children.