Palm stimulator and cartoon reduce pain and fear during IV catheterization in children aged 5-12

PURPOSE: To compare the effects of nonpharmacological interventions on pain, fear, satisfaction, and duration of peripheral intravenous catheterization (PIC) in children. DESIGN: A randomized controlled trial. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted in a training and research hospital in northwest Türkiye between October 2023 and March 2024 with 90 patients, ages 5-12. Children were divided into three groups using a simple randomization method: (1) palm stimulator (n = 30), (2) cartoon (n = 30), and (3) control (n = 30). The child, parent, and observer assessed the children's pain and fear levels before, during, and after PIC. After PIC, the children's and parents' satisfaction was evaluated. RESULTS: The average age of the children was 7.81 ± 2.62. The pain scores recorded for the intervention groups before, during, and one minute after the PIC were significantly lower than those of the control group. The fear scores reported by the children during the PIC were as follows: 1.26 ± 1.50 in the palm stimulator group, 1.33 ± 1.32 in the cartoon group, and 2.76 ± 1.38 in the control group, indicating a statistically significant difference between the groups. However, there was no significant difference in the satisfaction scores of children and parents across the groups. Additionally, the duration of the PIC was the shortest in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The use of palm stimulators and cartoons as nonpharmacological methods in pain intervention for children significantly reduced pain levels before, during, and after procedures. This study, which included evaluations by children, parents, and observer, found that the palm stimulator impacted pain and fear levels comparable to watching a familiar cartoon. Although there was no difference in overall procedure satisfaction between the groups, the satisfaction score for the palm stimulator was notably higher. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: The palm stimulator and cartoon film methods can reduce pain and fear during PIC in children. These methods significantly reduced the pain and fear of our participants during PIC. THE CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT06772259.