For every child who has squirmed and cried over a shot or a blood draw — and every parent who has stood by helplessly — doctors at Children's Minnesota hospitals are reporting success in a campaign to eliminate needle pain.
Strategies such as numbing cream, soothing blankets and visual distractions were rolled out in 2013 on the inpatient floors of Children's hospitals in Minneapolis and St. Paul. They proved so effective that doctors extended them to the emergency room and, most recently, to all outpatient clinics.
"Bubbles work great" as distractions, said Dr. Stefan J. Friedrichsdorf, Children's director of palliative care and pain medicine.
Two studies published this month vindicate their hopes. In one study, the number of children who identified needle pokes as the cause of their worst pain during hospitalizations declined from 41 percent to 30 percent after the program launched. In another, researchers proved that the addition of the pain-reducing strategies didn't delay or slow down patient care — a major concern for doctors or nurses who resisted the idea.
Fear of needles is important, Friedrichsdorf said, because it can prevent people from seeking necessary medical treatment and important immunizations.
"There is a significant amount of people, including my own mother, who decided not to vaccinate their own children because they cannot watch their child being in pain," he said.
Children's was the first hospital in the nation to create such a systemwide program, but Friedrichsdorf said the new studies will persuade other hospitals to copy the approach.
Friedrichsdorf's interest in reducing needle pain came partly through his childhood. He got the measles and transmitted it to friends during his 10th birthday party. He also recalls getting a shot while being held down by two physicians, which created more alarm.