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Published on: November 9, 2016
Tablet personal computer distraction during intravenous placement for young children in the pediatric emergency
Ha Ni Lee1, Soyun Hwang1, Jae Yun Jung1
1Department of Pediatrics, Severance Children's Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seodaemun-gu, Korea.
Insights
Tablet distraction may reduce children's distress during IV placement recovery. This pilot study suggests animated videos on tablets can help ease post-procedure pain in pediatric patients.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Emergency Medicine
- Child Psychology
- Medical Technology Integration
Background:
- Intravenous (IV) placement is a common procedure in pediatric emergency departments (PEDs).
- Uncontrolled anxiety and pain during IV procedures can lead to patient interference.
- This study evaluates tablet computers as a distraction tool for children during IV placement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the effectiveness of tablet-based distraction during IV placement in children aged 3-5 years.
- To measure the impact of distraction on children's anxiety, heart rate, and pain perception.
- To evaluate guardian satisfaction with the distraction method.
Main Methods:
- A single-center pilot study involving 22 children aged 3-5 years requiring IV placement.
- Random assignment to either a control group or an intervention group using tablet-based animated videos.
- Measurement of anxiety, heart rate, pain scores (Evaluation Enfant Douleur, Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability), and guardian satisfaction.
Main Results:
- No significant difference in immediate pain scores between groups.
- The intervention group showed significantly greater pain relief post-procedure (Evaluation Enfant Douleur: P=0.011).
- The intervention group also reported significantly lower post-procedure pain (Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability: P=0.043).
Conclusions:
- Tablet computer distraction may alleviate children's distress in the recovery phase after venipuncture.
- Further research with larger sample sizes and varied distraction techniques is recommended.
- This pilot study indicates a potential benefit of digital distraction in pediatric procedural care.
Background:
Intravenous (IV) placement is a common procedure experienced by children visiting the pediatric emergency department (PED). However, uncontrolled anxiety and pain cause children to interfere with the procedure. In this pilot study, we sought to evaluate the effectiveness of tablet personal computers as a distraction method during IV placement.
Methods:
This is a single-center pilot study conducted at a tertiary teaching hospital. Children visiting the PED were eligible if they were aged 3-5 years and required IV placement during the PED visit. After written consent was obtained from the guardian, the child was randomly assigned to a control group or an intervention group. For the intervention group, an animated video was played via tablet PC during IV placement. For both groups, children's anxiety, heart rate, and pain scale scores (the Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability and Evaluation Enfant Douleur) and guardian satisfaction were recorded.
Results:
22 children were eligible for the final analysis. There was no significant difference in the pain scale scores between the two groups, with the exception of the degree of pain relief after the procedure measured using Evaluation Enfant Douleur (intervention group: 6.0, interquartile range (IQR): 4.2-6.8, and control group; 3.0, IQR: 2.0-3.8, P = 0.011) and Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability (intervention group: 4.0, IQR: 4.0-4.2 and control group; 3.0, IQR: 1.5-3.5, P = 0.043).
Conclusion:
In this pilot study, distraction using tablet personal computers may have reduced children's distress during the recovery phase after venipuncture. Further study with a larger sample size and different methods of distraction is essential.
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