Hand-held computers can help to distract children undergoing painful venipuncture procedures.

Aim: Needle-related procedures can be painful for children, and distraction provides ideal pain relief in blood-drawing centres. This study assessed the effectiveness of playing a computer game during venipuncture, compared with low-tech distraction by a nurse.

Methods: We conducted this prospective, randomised controlled trial at the blood-drawing centre of a tertiary-level children's hospital in Italy.