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Invasive procedures are important causes of pain and anxiety during hospitalization. This study aims to evaluate the effect of three different distraction methods on the pain and anxiety levels of children during venipuncture” Inan and Inal (2018).

Abstract:

OBJECTIVES: Invasive procedures are important causes of pain and anxiety during hospitalization. This study aims to evaluate the effect of three different distraction methods on the pain and anxiety levels of children during venipuncture.

METHOD: This is a randomized controlled trial that was conducted with 180 children of 6-10 years of age; data was collected in the months of August – November 2016. Participants were randomized in 4 groups; the children in Group 1 watched cartoon movies (CM), the children in Group 2 played video games (VG), the children in Group 3 were distracted by their parents’ verbal interactions (PI) whereas no distraction method was used on the children in Group 4 (control group (c). The levels of anxiety and pain perception were evaluated independently based on the feedback from the children, the nurse observer, and the parents. The “Children Fear Scale” was used to evaluate anxiety levels and the “Wong-Baker Pain Scale” was used to evaluate the pain levels of the children.

RESULT: The difference between the groups based on both the anxiety levels and pain scores during venipuncture was statistically significant (P<0.05). The lowest level of anxiety and pain perception was reported in the video games group. The scores observed both in the cartoon movies group and the parental interaction group were significantly lower than in the control group (P<0.05). DISCUSSION: The distraction techniques of playing video games, watching cartoons, and interaction with parents are effective in reducing anxiety and pain perception in children during the procedure of venipuncture. The most effective method is playing video games.

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Reference:

Inan, G. and Inal, S. (2018) The impact of three different distraction techniques on the pain and anxiety levels of children during venipuncture: A clinical trial. The Clinical Journal of Pain. October 22nd. [epub ahead of print].

doi: 10.1097/AJP.0000000000000666.