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Randomized interventions for needle procedures in children with cancer

L Hedén1, L VON Essen, G Ljungman

  • 1Department of Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University, Unit for Paediatric Haematology and Oncology, Children's University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden. lena.heden@kbh.uu.se

European Journal of Cancer Care
|December 2, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Blowing soap bubbles or using a heated pillow significantly reduced children's fear and distress during needle procedures, according to parental reports. These interventions proved more effective than standard care for pediatric oncology patients.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Oncology
  • Child Psychology
  • Pain Management

Background:

  • Needle insertion procedures, such as intravenous port access, can induce significant fear, distress, and pain in children.
  • Effective non-pharmacological interventions are crucial for managing procedural anxiety and discomfort in pediatric patients.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy of blowing soap bubbles and using a heated pillow as interventions to reduce fear, distress, and pain during routine needle insertion in pediatric oncology patients.
  • To compare the effectiveness of these interventions against standard care.

Main Methods:

  • A randomized controlled trial involving 28 children (aged 2-7 years) undergoing routine intravenous port needle insertion.
  • Each child received two needle insertions: one with standard care and another with standard care plus a randomized intervention (blowing soap bubbles or heated pillow).
  • Parental and nursing assessments of children's fear, distress, and pain were conducted using 0-100 mm visual analogue scales.

Main Results:

  • Parental reports indicated a significant reduction in children's fear when interventions were used compared to standard care (P < 0.001).
  • Specifically, blowing soap bubbles led to less fear and distress (P < 0.05), and heated pillows led to less fear (P < 0.05) compared to standard care.
  • Nurses' assessments did not reveal statistically significant differences between intervention groups and standard care.

Conclusions:

  • Blowing soap bubbles and using a heated pillow are effective strategies for decreasing children's fear and distress during needle procedures, as reported by parents.
  • These findings support the integration of simple, non-pharmacological interventions into routine pediatric care for needle-related procedures.

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