Effect of Prone versus Lateral Position on Respiratory Status among Children with Lower Respiratory Tract Infections

Mohamed Amin, Fatma; Ibrahem Mohamed, Heba; Mohamed Ahmed Ayed, Manal; Ibrahim Eldemery, Nagwa; Mansour Moustafa Mohamed, Shimmaa

doi:10.21608/ejhc.2020.253130

Effect of Prone versus Lateral Position on Respiratory Status among Children with Lower Respiratory Tract Infections

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Assistant Professor of Pediatric Nursing Department, Faculty of Nursing, Mansoura University

² Lecturer of Pediatric Nursing Department, Faculty of Nursing, Kafr El Sheikh University

³ Assistant Professor of Pediatric Nursing Department, Faculty of Nursing, Sohag University, Egypt

⁴ Lecturer of Pediatric Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Mansoura University

⁵ Assistant Professor of Pediatric Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Zagazig University, Egypt.

10.21608/ejhc.2020.253130

Abstract

Introduction: Lower respiratory tract infection is considered one of the major public health
problems in many developing countries among under five children. The correct positioning will
help to reduce the breathing difficulty to some extent. Aim: The study aims to evaluate the effect of
prone versus lateral position on respiratory status among children with lower respiratory tract
infections. Subjects and method: Design: A quasi-experimental research design was utilized in
this study. Setting: the study was conducted in Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Sohag University
Hospital. Subjects: A non-probability purposive sampling technique was adopted to select 100
children with lower respiratory tract infections from the previous setting who were assigned into
two groups, with 50 children in each group. Prone position was given to group 1 and lateral position
was given to group 2. Tools: Tool (1) Children assessment sheet and Tool (2) Children respiratory
status assessment sheet. Results: The result of the study revealed that in group-1 and group-2, the
significance of the difference between the mean pre-observation and post-observation respiratory
status score was statistically and was found to be highly significant at 0.05 level. The result shows
that the respiratory status had no significant association with their variables. The values of heart
rate, respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation improved significantly among children in the prone
position than in the lateral positions after the intervention. Conclusion: The current study results
concluded that prone and lateral positions were effective in improving the respiratory status
of children under five years old with lower respiratory tract infections. The study findings also
depicted that the prone position was more effective than the lateral position. Recommendations:
Prone position is recommended and could be used in the routine care of children with lower
respiratory tract infections as a simple and applicable strategy to improve the respiratory status.

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