A multicenter investigation on the pain experience of children with lumbar puncture and the anxiety level of their families / 中国医师进修杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To investigate the pain level of lumbar puncture and family anxiety of hospitalized children, and analyze the influencing factors of family anxiety.Methods:A multi-center cross-sectional survey was used to enroll 190 children and their families who underwent lumbar puncture in 4 hospitals of Jiangsu Province from July 2018 to December 2019. The FLACC scale and face pain scale (WONG-BAKER scale) were adopted. The visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to investigate the pain level, and the anxiety state-trait questionnaire (STAI) was used to investigate the anxiety level.Results:The pain level scores before and after lumbar puncture were (2.86 ± 1.08) and (6.24 ± 1.59) scores respectively, and the difference was statistically significant ( t = 24.241, P<0.001). The total anxiety level of the children′s family members was (73.78 ± 4.67) scores, which was affected by factors such as the pain score, the age of the child, the number of lumbar punctures, the success rate of a lumbar puncture, the level of the hospital, the family status, and the education level of the family (adjusted R2 = 0.574, F = 29.784, P = 0.001). Conclusions:The pain in children is at a high level, and the anxiety level of their family members is also at a high level and is affected by many factors. Clinical medical staff can stratify the children and their families, and adopt targeted methods to relieve the pain of the children and the anxiety of the family members and promote the smooth development of the lumbar puncture.