Nursing Practices to Reduce Pain and Distress related to Venipuncture in Children

Abstract

Venipuncture procedures are routine part of modern clinical practice. These are most commonly performed clinical procedure carried out on young children. Venipuncture procedures are found to be a common cause of pain and distress in children. Venipunctue pain in children may lead to long-term negative effects later in life such as future avoidance of medical care, immunizations and blood donations. The aim of this article is to identify various nursing practices to reduce pain and distress related to venipuncture in children. A thematic analysis of related literatures on nursing practices to reduce pain and distress during venipuncture was done. Three main methods are currently used to measure pain intensity in children such as Self report, Behavioral and Physiological Measures. Pain control methods can be achieved through various inexpensive, non-invasive means. Various non-pharmacological strategies such as Distraction, Regular breathing exercise, Coaching, Explanation, Local application of cold, Cutaneous stimulation and Vibration are best nursing practices to reduce pain during venipuncture. Similarly, Topical applications such as Xylocain Spray, Amethocaine Cream, and Eutectic Mixture of Local Anesthetic (EMLA) cream are effective pharmacological methods. Reduction of pain in children during venipuncture will prevent pain and anxiety in future procedures. So, pain should be reduced during venipuncture in children.