{
  "abstract": "Background: Functional constipation (FC) is one of the most common gastrointestinal disorders in children and may substantially affect physical well-being, emotional health, and quality of life. Nurses play an important role in providing behavioral support, education, and implementing supportive interventions; however, evidence regarding the effectiveness of nursing interventions in pediatric FC remains fragmented. This systematic review aimed to synthesize current evidence on nursing-led and nursing-integrated interventions for pediatric functional constipation and evaluate their clinical implications.\n\nMethods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted across PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Medline, Embase, and other relevant databases to identify studies evaluating nursing-related interventions in children with FC. Nurse-led educational, behavioral, supportive, and complementary interventions were eligible. Risk of bias was assessed using study design-specific tools.\n\nResults: Eleven studies involving approximately 65,500 children were included. Of these, 64,985 participants were enrolled in cohort, cross-sectional, and observational studies, whereas 530 participants were included in intervention-based studies (randomized controlled trials, clinical trials, and quasi-experimental studies). The evaluated interventions included nurse-led educational programs, structured bowel management strategies, abdominal massage, and technology-assisted approaches such as mobile applications and digital educational games. Overall, nursing-related interventions were associated with improvements in stool frequency, stool consistency, constipation symptoms, treatment adherence, self-management, and quality of life among children and their caregivers.\n\nConclusions: Nursing-led and nursing interventions appear to be valuable adjuncts in the management of pediatric functional constipation. However, the available evidence remains heterogeneous, and additional high-quality studies are needed to establish standardized approaches and determine long-term effectiveness.\n\nClinical trial number: Not applicable.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Student Research Committee, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran",
    "Department of Management and Entrepreneurship, Al-Zaytoonah University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan",
    "Arad Radman Brain Storming Co.LLC., Kerman, Iran",
    "HIV/STI Surveillance Research Center, and WHO Collaborating Center for HIV Surveillance, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran",
    "Reproductive and Family Health Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran",
    "Razi Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Haft-Bagh Highway, Kerman, Iran"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 4,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Peiman Prandeh Afshar",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-6043-9387"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Belal Mahmoud AlWadi",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-1677-1275"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Fatemeh Dehghan",
      "orcid": "0009-0009-6348-0180"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3,
        4,
        5
      ],
      "name": "Mahlagha Dehghan",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-4205-829X"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7sfd4eh3f6ckz.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1186/s12912-026-05154-1",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13711702/",
  "id": "7sfd4eh3f6ckz",
  "issns": [
    "1472-6955"
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  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-026-05154-1",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
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      "lcc",
      "RT1-120"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2715|Gastrointestinal motility and disorders"
    ]
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  "openalex": "W7171772238",
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": "PMC13711702",
  "pmid": "42934637",
  "published": "2026-07-01",
  "publisher": "BMC",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7sfd4eh3f6ckz.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-31T12:22:26Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13711702",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-026-05154-1"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-01T14:21:17Z",
      "native_id": "01ae9adff1034ef492e2260bcc535838",
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  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2715|Gastrointestinal motility and disorders",
      "subfield": "general"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Nursing interventions for pediatric functional constipation: a systematic review of evidence and clinical implications",
  "title_text": "Nursing interventions for pediatric functional constipation: a systematic review of evidence and clinical implications",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-03T14:20:44Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7sfd4eh3f6ckz",
  "venue": "BMC Nursing",
  "versions": []
}