This study aimed to examine the effect of EMLA cream, cold spray, and Buzzy applied during venipuncture on the pain and fear levels of children aged 7-12 years.
The International Guide to Pediatric Anesthesia (Good Practice in Postoperative and Procedural Pain) recommends pharmacological and nonpharmacological methods to effectively manage and prevent acute procedural pain in children. Nonpharmacological methods alone or in combination with pharmacological methods help reduce pain, and therefore, have become popular especially in recent years. For pain management, nonpharmacological methods are easy to use, and cost- and time-effective methods with no side effects. Studies have evaluated a large number of pharmacological and nonpharmacological interventions for procedural pain management in children. However, most of those interventions are not used by healthcare professionals because they are expensive, time-consuming or hard to use. Therefore, easy-to-use, practical, non-invasive, cost-effective, and reusable pharmacological and nonpharmacological methods can be used especially in acute settings. EMLA cream, cold spray, and Buzzy examined in this study may serve as alternative effective pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods to reduce venipuncture pain and fear.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
192
EMLA cream (2.5 grams) was applied to the treatment area 60 minutes before the procedure and covered with a transparent and impermeable dressing.
The buzzy device was placed on the procedure area 60 seconds before the procedure and turned on. The cold and vibration application continued during the procedure.
Cold spray was applied to the procedure area for 5 seconds from a distance of 15 cm immediately before the procedure.
Istanbul Medeniyet University
Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey (Türkiye)
Procedural pain score- Visual Analog Scale (VAS)
The VAS is used to measure and monitor pain intensity. VAS is a 10 cm or 100 mm long horizontal or vertical line with anchor statements "no pain or pain at its least" at the left-most end and "unbearable pain or worst pain imaginable" at the right-most end. The participant is asked to mark a point on the line that best represents their pain level. The VAS score is determined by measuring the distance of the mark from the left end of the line. VAS is an easy-to-understand and easy-to-measure scale for children aged 7 and over
Time frame: Through painful procedure completion, an average of 5 minutes
Procedural pain score- Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale
The scale is used to diagnose pain in children aged 3-18 years. It consists of six facial expressions, each one representing an increasing degree of pain scored on a scale 0 to 5 from left to right. The first face is a happy face representing "no pain=0" while the last face is a crying face representing "the worst pain imaginable=5". Higher scores indicate low pain tolerance. Participants are asked to choose the facial expression that best represents their pain.
Time frame: Through painful procedure completion, an average of 5 minutes
Procedural fear score- Children's Fear Scale (CFS)
The CFS was developed to measure fear and anxiety in children. It consists of five facial expressions that represent a range from neutral to extreme fear. It is scored between 0 and 4. Both researchers and family members can use the CFS to measure fear and anxiety in children before and during procedures.
Time frame: Through painful procedure completion, an average of 5 minutes
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