The Effect of Distraction on Pain Level Felt by School-age Children During Venipuncture Procedure--Randomized...

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Nursing
• Pain Management
• Child Psychology

Background:

• Venipuncture is a common yet painful procedure for school-age children.
• Effective pain management strategies are crucial for improving pediatric patient experiences.
• Distraction techniques have shown promise in alleviating procedural pain.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of kaleidoscope-induced distraction in mitigating pain during venipuncture in children aged 7-12 years.
• To compare pain levels between children receiving distraction and those in a control group during venipuncture.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 144 children (7-12 years old) undergoing venipuncture.
• Participants were assigned to either an experimental group (kaleidoscope distraction) or a control group.
• Pain levels were assessed using the Faces Pain Scale-Revised (FPS-R).

Main Results:

• The experimental group reported significantly lower pain scores (FPS-R = 1.80 ± 1.84) compared to the control group (FPS-R = 3.27 ± 2.87; p = .001).
• Kaleidoscope distraction was found to be effective in reducing perceived pain during venipuncture.
• The difference in pain scores between groups was statistically significant.

Conclusions:

• Distraction with a kaleidoscope is an effective, non-pharmacological intervention for reducing venipuncture pain in school-age children.
• This method provides a practical and accessible approach to pain management in pediatric healthcare settings.
• Further research could explore other forms of distraction for pain relief in children.