Squeezing a squishy object effectively controls pain in children during intravenous catheter insertion

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Nursing
• Pain Management
• Child Psychology

Background:

• Intravenous catheter insertion is a common yet painful procedure for children.
• Effective pain management strategies are crucial in pediatric healthcare.
• Distraction techniques show promise in mitigating procedural pain in pediatric patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of a squishy object distraction technique on pain reduction in children undergoing intravenous catheter insertion.
• To compare pain levels between children using a distraction technique and those receiving standard care.

Main Methods:

• A posttest-only quasiexperimental design was employed with 50 pediatric participants (aged 3-15 years).
• Participants were randomized into an intervention group (squishy object distraction) or a control group (standard care).
• Pain was assessed using age-appropriate scales: Wong-Baker Faces Scale (3-8 years) and Visual Analog Scale/Numeric Rating Scale (>8 years).

Main Results:

• Mann-Whitney analysis indicated a statistically significant difference in pain levels between groups (P<0.001).
• The intervention group, utilizing the squishy object distraction, reported significantly lower pain scores.
• The distraction technique proved effective in reducing pain during the procedure.

Conclusions:

• Squeezing a squishy object serves as an effective distraction technique to alleviate pain in children during intravenous catheter insertion.
• This method is a recommended, non-pharmacological pain management strategy for pediatric nursing care.
• Integrating simple distraction tools can enhance patient comfort and improve the healthcare experience for children.