Effect of Thermomecanical Stimulation (Buzzy®) and Cryotherapy on Children Pain, Anxiety and Satisfaction During Blood Specimen Collection

Internationally, needle procedures are the most common and important source of pain and distress in children. Pain relief during these procedures such as blood specimen collection and vaccination is an important nursing task. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of Thermomecanical Stimulation (Buzzy®) and cryotherapy on children pain, anxiety and satisfaction during blood specimen collection. The design of this study was quasi experimental. It was conducted at pediatric department in Menoufia University Hospital at Shebin El-kom city-Menoufia Governorate. A purposive sample of 150 children aged 6 - 12 years was used. Three tools were used in this study; Structured Interview Questionnaire; Children Fear Scale (CFS) and Faces Pain Scale-Revised (FPS-R). The results of this study showed that children in the buzzy and cryotherapy groups had lower of pain level (child-reported 0. 96± 1.41, 1.44 ± 1.3 VS observer- reported 1.08± 1.4, 1.24± 1.3 VS parent- reported 1.40 ± 1.4, 1.40± 1.5 respectively) and lower level of anxiety (parent – reported 1.10 ± 0.789, 1.86± 0.64 VS observer -reported 1.34 ± 0.717, 1.58±0.64 respectively) than children in control group. Also, it reflected that children and their Parents who receive Buzzy and cryotherapy were more satisfy (78%, 76% and 90%, 70%) respectively regarding its effect. It was concluded that, children in buzzy and cryotherapy groups had lower levels of pain and anxiety. Also, children and their parents were more satisfied than children and their parents in control group. Therefore, this study recommended that buzzy should be integrated as a part of routine daily care for managing needle puncture pain and anxiety during blood specimen collection. Keywords: Thermomecanical stimulation (Buzzy), Pain, Anxiety, Satisfaction, Blood Specimen Collection