Effects of Topical Anesthetic Cream on Pain at Venipuncture in Children

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This study was done to evaluate the effectiveness of EMLA cream on pain related to venipuncture among children. METHODS: In this study, 48 children were evaluated using a sequential measurement for level of pain by Skin Conductance Level (SCL) based on Galvanic Skin Response (GSR), heart rate, and the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) at four times. RESULTS: The maximum and mean of the SCL were each significantly different between the experimental and control groups and furthermore, the two were also significantly different among observed times. In addition there was a significant interaction between group and time. The children's perceived pain using VAS was not significantly different between the experimental and control groups. There was no significant difference in the heart rate between the experimental and control groups; however, the interaction between group and time was significant. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, applying topical anesthetic cream to the venipuncture site to reduce pain was effective among the children and therefore it is highly recommended that topical anesthetic cream be applied at the venipuncture site as a nursing intervention to reduce pain when a child has to undergo a venipuncture.