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Children's views on microneedle use as an alternative to blood sampling for patient monitoring
Karen Mooney1, James C McElnay, Ryan F Donnelly
1School of Pharmacy, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK.
Insights
Children generally found microneedles more acceptable than traditional blood sampling, preferring patch designs. Paediatric patient education and a new name are crucial for acceptance of this minimally invasive monitoring technique.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Biomedical Engineering
- Patient Acceptability Studies
Background:
- Traditional blood sampling methods can cause significant distress in children.
- There is a need for less invasive and more acceptable alternatives for pediatric monitoring.
- Microneedle technology offers a potential solution for minimally invasive procedures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore children's views on microneedle use for blood sampling and monitoring.
- To assess the acceptability of microneedles as an alternative to traditional needles in pediatric populations.
- To identify factors influencing children's acceptance of microneedle technology.
Main Methods:
- Focus groups were conducted with 86 children aged 10-14 years in Northern Ireland.
- Convenience sampling was used, recruiting participants from a university-led community outreach project.
- The study explored children's perceptions of microneedles compared to traditional blood sampling.
Main Results:
- Children expressed strong disapproval of traditional blood sampling due to pain and fear of needles.
- Microneedles were generally viewed more favorably, with less fear and greater visual acceptability.
- Personalized, patch-based microneedle designs were preferred; concerns included allergies and accuracy, but trust in healthcare professionals was high.
- Children emphasized the need for patient education and an alternative name for microneedle devices.
Conclusions:
- Findings support the development of blood-free, minimally invasive techniques for pediatric monitoring.
- Microneedle acceptability in children is promising, particularly for monitoring applications.
- Further research with children requiring regular monitoring for chronic conditions is recommended to refine microneedle design and implementation.
Objectives:
To explore children's views on microneedle use for this population, particularly as an alternative approach to blood sampling, in monitoring applications, and so, examine the acceptability of this approach to children.
Methods:
Focus groups were conducted with children (aged 10-14 years) in a range of schools across Northern Ireland. Convenience sampling was employed, i.e. children involved in a university-directed community-outreach project (Pharmacists in Schools) were recruited.
Key Findings:
A total of 86 children participated in 13 focus groups across seven schools in Northern Ireland. A widespread disapproval for blood sampling was evident, with pain, blood and traditional needle visualisation particularly unpopular aspects. In general, microneedles had greater visual acceptability and caused less fear. A patch-based design enabled minimal patient awareness of the monitoring procedure, with personalised designs, e.g. cartoon themes, favoured. Children's concerns included possible allergy and potential inaccuracies with this novel approach; however, many had confidence in the judgement of healthcare professionals if deeming this technique appropriate. They considered paediatric patient education critical for acceptance of this new approach and called for an alternative name, without any reference to 'needles'.
Conclusions:
The findings presented here support the development of blood-free, minimally invasive techniques and provide an initial indication of microneedle acceptability in children, particularly for monitoring purposes. A proactive response to these unique insights should enable microneedle array design to better meet the needs of this end-user group. Further work in this area is recommended to ascertain the perspectives of a purposive sample of children with chronic conditions who require regular monitoring.
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