Parents as distraction coaches during IV insertion: A randomized study

This study investigated the effectiveness of a brief Distraction Education intervention for parents prior to their preschool children's medical proced ures. Fourty-four preschool children with chronic non-life-threatening cond itions were having intravenous catheters (IVs) placed for medical tests. Pa rent-child dyads were randomized into two groups. The experimental group re ceived Distraction Education prior to IV insertion; the control group recei ved standard care. Data woe analyzed for two phases of the IV procedure. Ph ase I was the preparation for needle insertion; Phase 2 began with needle i nsertion. Experimental group parents used significantly more distraction th an did control group parents during both phases (P < 0.001). There were no group differences for child behavioral distress or self-report of pain. The re was a trend toward a group by phase interaction for behavioral distress (P = 0.07); more experimental group children showed decreased behavioral di stress over time (from phase 1 to phase 2) than did control group children (P = 0.02). (C) U.S. Cancer Pain Relief Committee, 2001.