Pediatric venipuncture: Child Life specialists' perspectives

During procedures like venipuncture, Child Life Specialists are able to incorporate non-pharmacological measures when most medical staff focused on pharmacological measures. There is little research about what types of interventions Child Life Specialists believe are effective at minimizing children's pain and increasing coping skills during venipuncture. The purpose of the current study was to examine Child Life Specialists' perspectives on the different techniques available in the hospital setting. An online survey of 75 Certified Child Life Specialists asked about the types of techniques that Child Life Specialists use during venipuncture. Further, questions asked how Child Life Specialists felt about the efficacy of pharmacological and non-pharmacological techniques with a variety of different ages. Results revealed that Child Life Specialists felt that combining two techniques helps to minimize pain during venipuncture for pediatric patients more than the use of a single technique. These results applied to preschoolers, school-aged children and adolescents. Keywords: child life specialist, venipuncture, pain, distres