Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 24, 2025
Determining Pain Detection and Tolerance Thresholds Using an Integrated, Multi-Modal Pain Task Battery
Published on: April 14, 2016
Effectiveness of art-based distraction on reducing pediatric patients' pain and anxiety during venipuncture: A
Sherzad Khudeida Suleman1, Akaram Atrushi2, Karin Enskär3
1Nursing Department, Faculty Health Sciences, Witten/Herdecke University, Germany.
Insights
An art-based intervention called Trace Image and Coloring for Kids-Book (TICK-B) significantly reduced pain and anxiety in children during venipuncture. This practical technique offers a valuable tool for healthcare providers to improve pediatric patient comfort.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nursing
- Child Psychology
- Medical Interventions
Background:
- Venipuncture is a common medical procedure that causes significant pain and anxiety in children.
- Effective strategies are needed to mitigate procedural distress in pediatric patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of a novel art-based intervention, Trace Image and Coloring for Kids-Book (TICK-B), in reducing pain and anxiety during venipuncture in children.
- To compare the outcomes of the art-based intervention with a control group receiving no intervention.
Main Methods:
- A parallel randomized controlled trial was conducted with children aged 6-12 years.
- The intervention group (n=73) received the TICK-B intervention during venipuncture.
- The control group (n=71) received no intervention. Pain and anxiety were assessed by children, parents, and nurses post-procedure.
Main Results:
- The TICK-B intervention group reported substantially lower pain scores compared to the control group (mean pain scores: 3.50-3.52 vs. 6.45-6.59).
- Anxiety levels were also significantly lower in the intervention group across all assessment groups (mean anxiety scores: 0.88-1.43 vs. 2.52-3.09).
- The observed effect size for pain and anxiety reduction was large.
Conclusions:
- The Trace Image and Coloring for Kids-Book (TICK-B) is an effective intervention for reducing pain and anxiety in children undergoing venipuncture.
- TICK-B is a practical and easily implementable technique for nurses to improve pediatric patient comfort during venipuncture procedures.
Background:
Venipuncture is a common procedure resulting in intense discomfort, anxiety, and pain in children. In this regard, we examined the effectiveness of a simple and practical art-based intervention on pain and anxiety in children who underwent venipuncture procedures.
Method:
In this parallel randomized control trial, children aged 6-12 years were randomly allocated to either an intervention or a control group. The intervention group (n = 73) received an art-based intervention called Trace Image and Coloring for Kids-Book (TICK-B) during the venipuncture procedure compared to no intervention in the control group (n = 71). The children, their parents, and an observer nurse rated the outcomes 1-2 min after the venipuncture procedure was finished.
Findings:
The patients in the intervention group had a substantially lower mean value of pain and anxiety-as rated by children, their parents, and an observer nurse-compared to the control patients. The average values of pain reported by the children, parents, and observer nurse were 3.50, 3.52, and 3.49 in the intervention group in contrast to 6.53, 6.59, and 6.45 in the control group (a large effect). Similarly, the patients in the intervention group had significantly lower mean values of anxiety compared to the control group: 0.88, 1.43, and 1.42 vs. 3.09, 2.52, and 2.52, respectively.
Conclusions:
This study showed that TICK-B is an effective technique to reduce the levels of pain and anxiety in children undergoing venipuncture procedures.
Practice Implications:
The TICK-B can be used easily by nurses to relieve the pain of children during venipuncture procedures.
Trial Registration:
Clinical Trial Registry, NCT04690257. Registered on December 30, 2020.
