Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 9

PATIENT EXPERIENCE / ROUNDS
Painless pokes
A grand plan to make needle procedures less painful and stressful for kids.
D
r. Stefan Friedrichsdorf has yet to meet a kid who likes getting
punctured with a needle. Yet needles-and the pain
and anxiety that comes with them-are necessary for routine
vaccinations, intravenous cannulations, and blood draws.
Clinicians and caregivers can reduce the pain associated with
needles with proper planning, said Friedrichsdorf, the medical
director of the Stad Center for Pediatric Pain, Palliative, and
Integrative Medicine at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals.
" If you ask every single child what they are most afraid of
at the doctor, it's the needle pain. It's the number one problem
of patients, yet most children's hospitals only offer relief for
some children, some of the time, " Friedrichsdorf said.
Effective pain control is important since anxiety about needles
can follow children into adulthood. A study by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention found 25% of adults are fearful
of needles. The fear often stems from childhood experiences
and causes adults to forego treatments, tests, or vaccination for
themselves or their children, Friedrichsdorf said.
Pain and anxiety from needle procedures can be avoided
or alleviated using an evidence-based bundle Friedrichsdorf
implemented with his team as the new standard of care while
working at Children's Minnesota. The Comfort Promise standard
of care is now available with Benioff Children's Hospitals
and several other children's hospitals in the U.S. and Canada.
Read an extended version of this article at childrenshospitals.org/comfort.
The Comfort Promise
These pain-prevention techniques help make injections and blood draws easier for patients.
MAKE IT AGE
APPROPRIATE
A FEW
DROPS DO
THE TRICK
LIDOCAINE
IS KEY
UPRIGHT
IS BEST
Numb the skin with
over-the-counter topical
4% lidocaine 30 minutes
before the stick.
Provide distractions such
as books, music, bubbles,
comfort toys, videos, or
even rhythmic sounds.
Encourage comfort
positioning, which can
include skin-to-skin contact,
swaddling, or sitting upright
in a caretaker's lap.
Offer babies sugar water
or breastfeeding two
minutes before the needle
to stop pain messages
from reaching the brain.
CHILDREN'S HOSPITALS TODAY Spring 2024
9

http://www.childrenshospitals.org/comfort

Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024

Contents
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - Cover1
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - Cover2
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - Contents
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 2
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 3
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 4
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 5
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 6
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 7
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 8
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 9
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 10
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 11
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 12
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 13
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 14
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 15
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 16
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Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 18
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 19
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 20
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 21
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 22
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 23
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 24
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 25
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 26
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Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 28
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 29
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 30
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 31
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 32
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - Cover3
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - Cover4
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