Abstract

Management of pediatric hospital fear and procedural pain is challenging. Distraction techniques are considered as one of the most effective non-pharmacological ways to alleviate children’s pain. The aims of the study were to examine the characteristics of children’s hospital fear and assess the efficiency of holograms in reducing pain during medical procedures. Fifty-one children participated (mean age 8.62 years; SD=4.94). Parents answered the children’s hospital fear questionnaire. Nurses assessed children’s pain with The Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability (FLACC) Scale during medical procedures before and after initiating holograms. HYPERVSN holographic solution with 31 different 3D animations was applied. Results showed that parents described high hospital fear scores (7-10/maximum 10) in 45.1% of children. Fifty-five percent of parents considered venipuncture as the most frightening procedure. Interestingly, the number of children with high fear scores increased with age (p<0.0001). Also, the results revealed parents’ incapability of dealing with children’s fears. Children’s pain scores during medical procedures were significantly lower after viewing holograms- pain reduction 4.01 points (out of 10). Therefore, the study shows great promise in applying hologram technology as a new effective distraction technique for reducing children’s fear and pain during medical procedures.

Keywords: Hospital fear; Procedural pain; Children; Distraction methods; Holograms