Effectiveness of using external cold and vibration on level of pain among children

Abstract

Introduction: Pain is one of the most misunderstood, under-diagnosed, and under-treated/untreated medical problems, particularly in children. One of the most challenging roles of medical providers serving children is to appropriately assess and treat pain. Objective: To assess the effectiveness of external cold and vibration on level of pain during intravenous cannulation among hospitalized children.Study Design: A quasi-experimental research design was used. Participants: Total 60 children in the age group of 4-12 years. Intervention: External cold and vibration via “buzzy” one minute before, during and till one minute after the procedure.Outcome: Level of pain measured with standardized FLACC behavioral assessment scale Results: both the groups were homogenous in terms of socio demographic variables such as age, gender, religion, birth order, informer and socioeconomic status of parents with p>0.05. The mean pain score during IV cannulation in experimental group was lower (1.37±1.829) than control group (1.50±1.480) and this difference was statistically non-significant (p >0.05). One minutes after IV cannulation procedure, the mean pain score in experimental group was 0.00±0.00 while in control group was 0.07±0.254 (p>0.05).Conclusion: The study findings revealed that external cold and vibration does not reduces the level of intravenous cannulation procedural pain significantly in children.