Cartoons to the rescue for kids scared of shots
Watching cartoons can relieve children's distress before, during and after vaccination, according to an Italian research team.
"The use of a simple procedure that is easily and economically executed can enable nurses to ensure that children's first contacts with the health service are positive experiences," write the researchers, who believe it could reduce anxiety and needle phobia.
Working with two groups of six-year-olds, they conducted a randomized, controlled trial, the results of which were published in the journal Nursing Children and Young People.
In the study, each kid in the experimental group was given the choice of watching either "Cinderella" or "Toy Story" on a laptop computer before being immunized.
The other group was immunized according to protocol in which a nurse distracts the patient verbally.
All participating children received two injections, one of which was subcutaneous, meaning that the medicine is injected into fatty tissue under the skin, and the other was intramuscular, delivering drugs to the muscle.
Children's reactions were assessed on terms of the behavior they expressed and researchers noted their pain according to the Wong-Baker FACES pain rating scale, a visual-numerical measure.
The children who had watched the cartoons reflected less distress than those who hadn't, according to the research team.
The most notable differences, according to the researchers, were the levels of distress observed after the subcutaneous injection and during the intramuscular shot.
There was less difference in pain between the two groups after the intramuscular injection, say the researchers, but those who had watched the cartoons had a more favorable response.
"From an organizational point of view, it would be appropriate to provide a structured setting, equipped with all the tools necessary to implement strategies of distraction - particularly the use of cartoons - during invasive procedures," write the authors.
Researchers were interested in working with six-year-olds, because previous studies report that children under seven demonstrate feeling more distress and pain when vaccination time rolls around than do their older counterparts.
