Pilot Medical Student Greeters for Pediatric Cystic Fibrosis Patient-Centering

This pilot study assessed the impact of a medical student-led volunteer and companionship program on anxiety during annual phlebotomy in children aged 3–7 with cystic fibrosis. Pediatric cystic fibrosis patients undergo frequent medical procedures that may lead to anxiety and distress during clinical encounters. The medical student volunteer met with patients prior to phlebotomy, providing companionship and encouragement using 360 degree animal-themed videos before and during phlebotomy, and collected responses via surveys from patients and their parents. Children rated nervousness using a five-point cartoon-face scale, while parents used a 1–4 rating and qualitative comments to assess the intervention. Twelve patients and their parents participated. Children reported an average decrease in nervousness of 1.25 points on the five-point scale from pre- to post- procedure, and a Wilcoxon signed-rank test illustrated a significant (p < 0.0313) decrease in nervousness levels pre- and post-procedure. Parents rated the intervention 3.42/4 (Parent Question 3) for lowering procedural anxiousness, 3.42/4 (Parent Question 1) for increasing their child's willingness for future visits, and 3.75/4 (Parent Question 2) for increasing patient engagement with medical care. These findings suggest that medical student companionship, when combined with audiovisual distraction, may provide a feasible and low-cost method of improving procedural experiences for pediatric patients facing chronic disease. Further studies increasing the scale of this study should be done to ensure effectiveness across broader patient populations.