Examining the health and medical staff perception with the method of projective i̇llustration in children aged 9-11

Besides the environment and experience, nurse-doctor-child relationship has an important role on the formation of health awareness in children. Picture is an important tool and an effective way on the development of children's spiritual, physical and as well as their personality. Drawing pictures in childhood is an important communication process for children's self-knowledge and introducing themselves. Children designate health and medical staff with the method of projective illustration. Research is a qualitative study and it was conducted between 27.10.2017-10.01.2017. For the research, 32 children who have chronic diseases in the Çukurova University Balcalı Hospital and 30 healhty children studying in a primary school randomized. Firstly, a questionnaire was applied to the children and their mothers about their socio-demographic characteristics. Then, it was said that drawing pictures during 30 minutes by giving them 12 color crayons and drawing paper about what they figure out firstly about health-nurse-doctor. Questions were asked to the children about the pictures they drew. Evaluation of the images were made by criterions generated by utilizing the literature and used pictures evaluation criterias. It was determined 28 children (87.5%) in the hospital group and all children (100%) in the school group had positive messages in their pictures. It was determined that 17 children in the hospital group drew weak nature figures and 24 children in the school group drew rich nature figures in their pictures. It was seen that all of the children in two groups had positive feelings after drawing the pictures. The health workers, communication tools, teachers and parents have great responsibilities for the formation the concepts related to health in children. Key words: Healthy and sick children, health conscious, health-nurse-doctor perception, projective drawing method