Non-pharmacological strategies used to reduce procedural pain in infants by nurses at family health centres.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the methods used by nurses working in family health centres to decrease pain during medical procedures in infants. METHODS: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted at family health centres in the county town of Bandirma, and city centres of Karaman and Gaziantep, Turkey, in September and October 2015, and comprised nurses. Data was collected through face-to-face interviews using a questionnaire. SPSS 15 was used for data analysis. RESULTS: Of the 144 participants, 71(49.3%) were aged 31-40 years, 74(51.4%) had a bachelor's degree, and 76(52.8%) had worked in a family health centre for 1-5 years. It was observed that 91(63.3%) nurses used contact/massage for decreasing the pain during vaccinations and 72(50.3%) used skin-to-skin contact during heel lance. A statistically significant difference was found between the level of education and use of non-pharmacological methods (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Nurses used different non-pharmacologic methods during invasive procedures.

Comparison of the effectiveness of three different methods in decreasing pain during venipuncture in children: ball squeezing, balloon inflating and distraction cards.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate three different distraction methods (squeezing a soft ball, balloon inflation and distraction cards) on pain and anxiety relief in children during phlebotomy. BACKGROUND: Needle-requiring medical procedures such as venipuncture, phlebotomy and intramuscular injections are common and significant sources of pain for children, and these cause anxiety, distress and fear. DESIGN: This study was a prospective, randomised controlled trial. METHODS: The sample consisted of children (n = 120) who required blood tests. Data were obtained through face-to-face interviews with the children, their parents and the observer before and after the procedure. The children's pain levels were assessed and reported by the parents and observers, and the children themselves who self-reported using Wong-Baker FACES. The children's anxiety levels were also assessed using the Children's Fear Scale. RESULTS: One hundred and twenty children (mean age: 9·64 ± 2·07 years) were included. No difference was found between the groups in the self-, parent- and observer-reported procedural pain levels (p = 0·446, p = 0·467, p = 0·318 respectively). Furthermore, no significant differences were observed between the groups in procedural child anxiety levels according to the parents and observer (p = 0·323, p = 0·144 respectively). CONCLUSION: Pain and anxiety relief was seen in the three methods used during phlebotomy; however, no statistically significant difference was observed. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: This study contributes to the literature on nonpharmacologic pain relief methods during phlebotomy in children.

Methods used to eliminate colic in infants in the eastern parts of Turkey.

OBJECTIVE: Infant colic is a common problem characterized by excessive crying and fussing. There is not a consistent treatment method used to eliminate colic. Mothers make use of various models together to eliminate colic in their infants. This study was carried out to delineate the methods used by mothers to eliminate colic in their infants and to determine the efficacy of the various methods. DESIGN: Descriptive study. METHODS: The study was performed by visiting the homes of 186 babies (1-3 months of age) whose mothers had previously registered at a health center in Eastern Turkey between January 1 and February 28, 2005. Questionnaires and Wessel's criteria were used to obtain the data. The methods used by mothers to eliminate colic were classified as behavioral, natural, and drug treatments and were examined accordingly. RESULTS: According to mothers' statements, 75.8% of the babies had colic, while according to the Wessel criteria, 51.1% had colic symptoms. One hundred percent of the mothers used behavioral treatments, 66% used drug therapies, and 64.5% used natural treatment methods to eliminate colic. CONCLUSIONS: Mothers indicated that they achieved the most benefit from behavioral interventions, followed by natural therapies, and the least from drug treatments.