A Comparison of Nonpharmacologic Interventions on the Emotional State of Children in the Emergency Department

Abstract

Objectives: The majority of children and adolescents presenting to the emergency department are in pain and require painful procedures. This randomized study was to investigate the efficacy of 3 different nonpharmacologic interventions (clowns, dogs, and musicians) to reduce pain and analyze the perception of positive and negative affects after the presence of these activities in a short-stay observation unit (SSOU).

Methods: Participants were composed of 105 children (54 boys and 51 girls; aged 3-16 years) assigned randomly to an experimental group (N = 57) that was composed of patients who were present in the SSOU. They received one of the following nonpharmacologic interventions: clowns (n = 18), dogs (n = 24), or musicians (n = 15) or they were assigned to a control group (CG) (N = 48) that consists of the patients who were present in the SSOU without the presence of nonpharmacologic interventions.

Results: Differences among the groups did not emerge; in fact, the 3 interventions have a similar influence in a different way on a child's well-being. No significant main effect about pain emerged for both groups across age and sex.

Conclusions: The presence of different nonpharmacologic interventions (clowns, dogs, and musicians) seemed to empower positive affect in children but did not influence the self-reported pain.