Publications by authors named "Mervi Hakala"

Aim: The purpose of the study was to describe the preparation of children for day surgery from the parent's viewpoint.

Design: Empirical Research Mixed Method.

Methods: The research applied a mixed-methods study design.

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Background: Day surgery allows families to return home quickly. Only a few approaches to preparing for day surgery have demonstrated how digital solutions can support families and children.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a mobile app intervention on preschool children's fear and pain and parents' anxiety and stress in preparing children for day surgery.

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Purpose: A prerequisite for successful pain management is identifying the pain and assessing its intensity. The aim of this study was to describe parents' perceptions of their child's pain assessment in hospital care.

Design And Methods: This study was a descriptive cross-sectional study.

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Background: The challenge is to identify pain assessment counselling that are effective and reliable to the woman during labour while also supporting appropriate management of labour pain.

Objective: This study aimed to describe women's perceptions of their counselling on pain assessment and pain management during labour.

Design: A descriptive, cross-sectional study.

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Introduction: The use of non-pharmacological pain relief methods and pain assessment scales during labor has received limited research attention. This study aimed to describe women's perceptions of the pain assessment and non-pharmacological pain relief methods used during labor.

Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional survey was conducted.

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Introduction: This study aimed to describe exclusive breastfeeding (EBF, Step 6 of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative) in Finnish maternity hospitals and identify factors that promote or limit EBF.

Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used, and data were collected from eight maternity hospitals in Finland during a 10-day period in May 2014. The staff completed questionnaires (n=1554) from separate work shifts.

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Introduction: Rooming-in is an evidence-based practice during which postpartum mothers and infants stay together. Rooming-in benefits both the mother and infant, and is especially important for breastfeeding. This study aims to describe rooming-in (Step 7 of the BFHI), according to mothers and maternity-ward staff in Finnish maternity hospitals, as well as the factors associated with its implementation.

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Background: Breastfeeding and skin-to-skin contact are the best start for infant life. Breastfeeding ensures the best trajectory for development and growth while preventing many diseases later in life. It is recommended that initial breastfeeding occur during the first hour and that generally exclusive breastfeeding is adopted during the first six months.

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