Presenter: Korawit
Keorochana
Affiliation: Shrewsbury
International School Bangkok Riverside, Thailand
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation (In-Person)
👶 Making Venipuncture Less Scary for Children
How Arm
Concealment and Distraction Can Reduce Fear, Anxiety, and Pain
Medical procedures can be
stressful for children, especially when needles are involved. Among these
procedures, venipuncture (blood sampling) is one of the most common yet
anxiety-provoking experiences for pediatric patients. Fear of needles,
anticipation of pain, and unfamiliar hospital environments can cause
significant distress in children.
This study explores an innovative
approach to improving the pediatric venipuncture experience through a creative
intervention called the Magical
Bravery Box, designed
to combine arm concealment and
distraction techniques
to reduce fear, anxiety, and pain during the procedure.
📖 Background
Venipuncture is routinely
performed in pediatric healthcare for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.
Despite being a quick procedure, it often causes considerable fear, anxiety, and
discomfort in children.
These emotional responses can make the procedure more challenging for
healthcare professionals and can lead to negative medical experiences for young
patients.
Various distraction
techniques—such as music, toys, storytelling, and visual stimuli—have been
widely used to help children cope with painful procedures. However, combining distraction with visual
concealment of the needle site
is an approach that has not been extensively explored.
This randomized controlled trial
investigates whether integrating these strategies through a specially designed
tool—the Magical Bravery Box—can effectively reduce procedural distress
in children.
🎯 Objective of the Study
The primary aim of this study was
to evaluate the effectiveness of arm
concealment combined with distraction techniques in reducing:
·
Fear 😨
·
Anxiety
😟
·
Pain
perception 💉
during pediatric venipuncture
procedures.
🏥 Study Design and Methodology
The research was conducted as a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) involving pediatric patients aged 6–12 years who required routine venipuncture at Phramongkutklao Hospital.
👥
Participants
A total of 40 children were enrolled in the study and randomly
assigned to two groups:
·
Intervention
Group (n = 20): Used
the Magical Bravery Box during venipuncture
·
Control
Group (n = 20):
Received standard care without the intervention
The average age of participants
was:
·
8.4
± 1.7 years in the
Intervention Group
·
9.6
± 1.8 years in the
Control Group
🎁 The Magical Bravery Box Intervention
The Magical Bravery Box was designed to make the procedure more
engaging and less intimidating for children.
It incorporates two key elements:
🎭 Arm Concealment
The device hides the child’s arm
during the procedure, preventing them from seeing the needle and reducing
visual triggers of fear.
🎶
Active Distraction
The box provides interactive
distractions such as:
·
A music box that plays calming sounds
·
Colorful
visual images that
capture the child’s attention
Together, these elements aim to
shift the child’s focus away from the procedure.
📊 Measurement Tools
Children’s emotional and
physiological responses were assessed using validated pediatric tools:
·
Children's Fear Scale
·
Children's Anxiety Meter
·
Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale
Additionally, pulse rate monitoring was used to measure physiological
indicators of anxiety.
📈 Key Findings
✨ Results
in the Intervention Group
Children who used the Magical
Bravery Box experienced significant
reductions in fear and anxiety:
·
Fear
levels decreased from
4.6 ± 3.7 to 1.4 ± 2.3 (p
< 0.001)
·
Anxiety
levels decreased from
3.5 ± 2.9 to 1.3 ± 2.2 (p
< 0.001)
Both outcomes showed large effect sizes, indicating a strong impact of the
intervention.
📉 Results in the Control Group
Children receiving standard care
also showed some improvement:
·
Anxiety
levels decreased significantly
(p = 0.012)
·
Pulse
rate decreased from 109.3 ± 14.8 to 102.4 ± 17.5 (p
= 0.005)
However, fear reduction was not statistically
significant in this
group (p = 0.309).
🔍 Comparing the Two Groups
When comparing post-intervention
outcomes between the Intervention
Group and Control Group,
the differences were not
statistically significant.
This result suggests that while
the Magical Bravery Box was effective within the intervention group, the study
sample may have been too
small to detect a statistically significant difference between groups.
💡 Clinical Significance
Even though the between-group
comparison was not statistically significant, the findings highlight several
important points:
·
Innovative
distraction methods can significantly reduce procedural distress in children
·
Combining
visual concealment and
sensory distraction
may improve the pediatric care experience
·
Child-friendly
interventions can help healthcare providers perform procedures more smoothly
These strategies may contribute to
more positive
healthcare experiences for young patients.
🔬 Future Research Directions
The results suggest that further
research with larger
sample sizes is
necessary to determine whether this intervention provides measurable advantages
over standard care.
Future studies may also explore:
·
Digital
or interactive distraction tools
·
Virtual
reality or immersive technologies
·
Multisensory
interventions for pediatric procedures
✅ Conclusion
The Magical Bravery Box demonstrated promising results in reducing
fear and anxiety among children undergoing venipuncture. While the intervention
did not show statistically significant superiority compared to standard care,
the large effect sizes
observed within the intervention group highlight its potential value.
With further research and
development, such innovative approaches may become valuable tools for improving
pediatric procedural care and creating less stressful medical experiences for children.
👩⚕️ About the Speaker
Mr. Korawit Keorochana is
a Year 12 student at Shrewsbury International School Bangkok Riverside. His
primary research interests lie in Child Psychology and developmental wellness.
Driven by this focus, he has developed an innovation aimed at preventing and
mitigating the fear and anxiety experienced by children during blood collection
procedures. This innovation reflects his deep commitment to applying
psychological principles to create more child-friendly medical environments.
His work demonstrates strong potential for practical application in pediatric
healthcare settings.
🌍 Join the Global Conversation
Event:
International Conference on Pediatrics, Neonatology & Child Health
📅 March
26–28, 2026
📍 Singapore
& Online
🔗 Website: https://pediatrics.miconferences.com/
🔗 Register: https://pediatrics.miconferences.com/register
🔗 Abstract
Submission: https://pediatrics.miconferences.com/abstract-submission
📞 Phone: +1 (312) 462-4448
💬 WhatsApp: +1 (424) 377-0967
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