The effect of psychological intervention on perceived pain in children undergoing venipuncture.

Aims: The main objective of the study was to determine the effect of structured psychological intervention on the level of perceived pain in children undergoing venipuncture. A second goal was to investigate how pain behavior during venipuncture is affected by age, sex, previous number of venipunctures, the presence of parents during the procedure and reason for the venipuncture.

Methods: Children with indications for venipuncture aged 5-10 years, were randomly divided into a control group and an intervention group.