Effectiveness of smart tablets as a distraction during needle insertion amongst children with port catheter: Pre-research with pre-post test design

Abstract Aims Children who experience pain and anxiety while undergoing interventions or treatments during hospitalization at a young age can experience negative feelings which can influence how they experience health care in the future. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the protocol of using a tablet computer as a source of distraction from pain and fear when children undergo needle insertion in a port catheter (port-a-cath®). Methods The study uses a quasi-experimental pretest-post test design with a sample of 14 children, 20 months to 16 years of age, 9 boys and 5 girls. Pain and fear were first evaluated without the distraction of a tablet computer. The second time pain and fear were evaluated while a tablet computer was used for distraction. The children evaluated their pain and fear with a 10 cm Numeric Rating Scale (NRS/VAS) and six faces scales in all cases except three. In those three cases the mothers evaluated the children’s pain and fear with the NRS, the Faces scale, or the Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability scale (FLACC). Results The Shapiro-Wilk test showed a significant distribu-tion (p < 0.05) of pain and fear but most subjects did not feel any fear before the intervention. The mean score of pain was 2.90 (sd = 3.67) and the mean score for fear was 3.67 (sd = 3.76). No significant difference was found between pain and the fear prior to the intervention (p = 0.09). Children who felt fear prior to the intervention (n = 5) experienced significantly lower pain when a tablet computer was used (p<0.05). No difference was found between pain and fear by age or gender. No difference in pain was found by the type of distraction (p = 0.20). All subjects where highly experienced with needle insertions and some of them had developed their own approach to deal with the intervention. Conclusions More extensive research is needed in this area.