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Children's Pain During IV Induction: A Randomized-Controlled Trial With the MEDi® Robot
Rachelle C W Lee-Krueger1, Jacqueline R Pearson2, Adam Spencer3,4
1Department of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary.
Insights
A humanoid robot (MEDi®) did not significantly reduce pain or fear in children during IV line placement. However, robot intervention increased the likelihood of successful IV induction.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric care
- Human-robot interaction
- Pain management
Background:
- Intravenous (IV) line placement can cause pain and fear in children.
- Coping strategies are essential to manage pediatric procedural distress.
- Humanoid robots offer potential for novel interventions in healthcare settings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the impact of a humanoid robot (MEDi®) teaching deep breathing on children's pain and fear during IV line placement.
- To explore the effect of robot-facilitated intervention on IV induction completion rates.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled trial involving 137 children (4-12 years) undergoing IV line placement.
- Comparison between standard care (SC) with Ametop© and SC with robot-facilitated intervention (MEDi®).
- Pain and fear were measured before, during, and after the procedure by patients and observers.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in pain or fear were observed between the robot intervention group and the standard care group.
- Children receiving the MEDi® intervention were 5.04 times more likely to complete IV induction successfully compared to standard care.
- Exploratory analysis indicated a statistically significant improvement in IV induction completion (p = .04).
Conclusions:
- The study is the first to investigate MEDi® support for children during IV induction.
- While not reducing pain or fear, the robot intervention showed promise in improving procedural success.
- Further research is needed to understand limitations and optimize robot-assisted interventions for pediatric procedures.
Objective:
This study examined the impact of a humanoid robot (MEDi®) programmed to teach deep breathing as a coping strategy, on children's pain and fear as primary and secondary outcomes, respectively, during intravenous (IV) line placement. The completion of IV induction was also examined as an exploratory outcome.
Methods:
In this randomized controlled, two-armed trial, 137 children (4-12 years) were recruited in Short Stay Surgery at a tertiary pediatric hospital. Patients were randomly assigned to standard care (SC) with Ametop© only (N = 60) or SC and robot-facilitated intervention (N = 59) before induction. Pain and fear before, during, and after IV insertion were rated by patients and observers.
Results:
No significant differences were found between groups and there were no changes over time for pain or fear (ps > .05). Exploratory analyses show that patients in the MEDi® group were 5.04 times more likely to complete IV induction, compared to SC, Fisher's exact test: X2 (1) = 4.85, p = .04, φc = 0.22, odds ratio = 5.04, 95% CI [1.06, 24.00].
Conclusion:
This study was the first to examine children's IV induction experience when provided MEDi® support. Reasons for nonsignificance, limitations, and research suggestions were made.
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