The effect of using vibrating tourniquet and distraction cards on pain, fear and anxiety during phlebotomy in children

Introduction: Children suffer from pain due to invasive procedures. Unrelieved pain can lead to social and psychological problems. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of vibrating tourniquet and distraction cards on children’s pain, fear and anxiety levels during phlebotomy. Methods: This randomized, controlled study was carried out with 120 children included 40 children in vibrating tourniquet group, 40 children in distraction cards group and 40 children in control group in pediatric blood collection unit at a training and research hospital in Ankara. Data were collected with Child and Parent Data Collection Form, Visual Analog Scale, Child Fear Scale and Child Anxiety-State Scale. The primary outcome measure was the Visual Analog Scale for pain. Secondary outcome measure was the Child Fear Scale for fear and Child Anxiety-State Scale for anxiety. Results: After procedure pain score was significantly lower in the distraction cards group (p=0.006), whereas there was no statistically significant difference in pain scores before and during the procedure in all groups. During procedure fear score was significantly lower in the distraction card group (p=0.042). Conclusion: In this study it was concluded that the use of distraction cards was found to be effective in reducing children's pain and anxiety after the phlebotomy, and fear levels during and after the phlebotomy for the children aged between 6 and 10 years.