Reducing pain through distraction therapy in small acute paediatric burns

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Burn Care
• Pain Management in Children
• Therapeutic Interventions

Background:

• Small burns in children are frequently managed in outpatient settings.
• Burn assessment can be a distressing experience for pediatric patients.
• Distraction therapy is a potential non-pharmacological adjunct to minimize distress.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the efficacy of distraction therapy in reducing objective pain scores.
• To assess pain during outpatient assessment of small acute burns in children.

Main Methods:

• Two groups of pediatric patients with small burns were studied.
• Group A received standard analgesia and nursing care; Group B received additional specialist distraction therapy.
• Pain was measured using the Wong-Baker™ visual analogue scale (VAS) at three intervals.

Main Results:

• A total of 50 patients were recruited (32 in Group A, 18 in Group B).
• Distraction therapy significantly reduced mean pain scores at the start (0.33 vs 1.55) and peak (4.47 vs 6.80) of the consultation.
• Higher total body surface area (TBSA) burns correlated with increased pain scores (p < 0.05).

Conclusions:

• Specialist distraction therapy can decrease maximal pain by over 2 points on the Wong-Baker™ VAS.
• Distraction therapy is an effective method for managing pain in pediatric burn patients.
• Availability of distraction therapy should be ensured during initial consultations for pediatric burn injuries.