Comparing Hand Puppets and Coloring Books to Reduce Pain and Fear During Blood Collection in Children Ages 3 to 6

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are comparing two distraction methodsa hand puppet and a coloring book with imagesto see how they affect pain and fear in children aged 3 to 6 during blood collection. The study involves 90 children who will be randomly assigned to one of three groups hand puppet, image viewing and coloring book, or a control group receiving routine care. Pain and fear will be measured using the Wong-Baker Faces Pain Scale and the Child Fear Scale, respectively. Children in the hand puppet group will interact with puppet characters tailored to their interests, chosen after a brief interview with their parents. In the coloring book group, children will be given a book with pictures to color or draw during the procedure. The control group will receive routine care without additional activities. Assessments of pain and fear will be conducted before, during, and after the blood collection. Participants will be observed and assessed by nurses using standardized scales at multiple points five minutes before, during, and five minutes after the blood draw. Demographic information will also be collected. The study aims to evaluate how these distraction methods influence childrens pain and fear levels related to blood collection, with the entire participation period covering baseline and up to four weeks of follow-up.

Use of Hand Puppets and Image Watching and Coloring Books for Children in During Blood Collection Procedures