Squeezing a squishy object effectively controls pain in children during intravenous catheter insertion

This study aimed to identify the effect of distraction technique involving squeezing a squishy object on pain in children during intravenous catheter insertion. In this work, the control group posttest-only quasi-experimental design was used. This study involved 50 participants aged 3-15 years and was assigned into either intervention or control group. The intervention group was provided with a squishy object to squeeze as a form of distraction during intravenous catheter insertion, whereas the control group received the standard intervention. The pain was measured by using the Wong-Baker Faces Scale for 3-8 years old and the Visual Analog Scale or Numeric Rating Scale for children older than 8 years. Mann-Whitney analysis reveals significant difference in pain level between the intervention and control groups (P<0,001; α=0.05). The distraction technique involving squeezing a squishy object effectively reduced pain in children during intravenous catheter insertion and is recommended for pain management in nursing care in the pediatric ward.