Positive effects of a child-centered intervention on children's fear and pain during needle procedures.

To examine whether children experience less fear or pain using a child-centered intervention and if there were differences between the intervention group and the control group regarding heart rate, time required for the procedure, success rate for the cannula insertion, and patient satisfaction. A controlled single-center case study of observational design, with one control and one intervention group. Child self-reported fear or pain levels did not reveal any differences for those receiving the intervention compared with controls.

Children's communication of emotional cues and concerns during a preoperative needle procedure.

Objective: This study explores children's expressions of emotional cues and concerns during needle procedures, nurses' responses and findings in relation to children's age and sex.

Methods: Twenty-six children aged 6-12 years were video recorded during a preoperative needle procedure. Emotional communication was analyzed using Verona Coding Definitions of Emotional Sequences.

Children's individual voices are required for adequate management of fear and pain during hospital care and treatment.

Background: Children often report both fear and pain in conjunction with clinical care and treatment. Interventions developed in the field have still not been sufficient to prevent and relieve children's fear and pain. More knowledge, from children's own perspectives, is needed about how they deal with their experiences.