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. 2021 Nov-Dec:61:e35-e41.
doi: 10.1016/j.pedn.2021.04.009. Epub 2021 Apr 28.

Predictive Factors for Anxiety during Blood Sampling and Insertion of Peripheral Intravenous Catheters in Paediatric Patients in Spain

M Ferraz-Torres  1 , P Escalada-Hernandez  2 , L San Martín-Rodriguez  3 , R Delarosa  4 , R Saenz  5 , M N Soto-Ruiz  6
Affiliations

Predictive Factors for Anxiety during Blood Sampling and Insertion of Peripheral Intravenous Catheters in Paediatric Patients in Spain

M Ferraz-Torres et al. J Pediatr Nurs. 2021 Nov-Dec.

Abstract

Introduction: Invasive procedures for diagnosis purposes such as venepuncture and peripheral venous catheter insertion are painful procedures that cause great stress for paediatric patients. The objective of this study is to find out the factors that have an impact on the level of anxiety experienced by children undertaken these procedures.

Design and methods: Prospective study, 359 children between 2 and 15 years old were included, treated in a tertiary reference hospital in the region of Navarra (Spain). The impact of the variables recorded was analysed using a regressive analysis, the Wong-Baker and FLACC scales were used to measure the level of pain and the PACBIS scale to measure the level of stress and anxiety.

Results: The average age of the participants was 7.93 years (SD: 4.04), with 51.8% (n = 186) boys and 48.2% (n = 173) girls. The mean value of pain recorded was 4.43 (SD:3.10). 45.7% (n = 123) of the venepuncture techniques was associated with minimum level of anxiety, including 11.1% of intravenous catheterization. Variables determining the anxiety has been detected such as age, sex, level of pain, parental conduct and time spent on the procedure.

Conclusions: Paediatric patients experience high levels of anxiety when undergoing painful procedures which are conditioned by multifactorial reasons. The increase in stress is directly related to the older age (>6 years old) of the patient, and statistically significant by the female gender, the longer duration of the technique and the parental block.

Practice implications: Healthcare professionals should work on some of the variables and apply measures aimed to mitigate anxiety levels. For example, reducing the duration of the procedure, training parents, and distracting techniques.

Keywords: Anxiety; Paediatrics; Pain; Peripheral venous catheter; Risk factors; Venipuncture.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Competing Interest Within the Precipita program, it is worth mentioning the active collaboration of the Spanish journalist Jalis de la Serna and the participation in the project of the Valencian software company Innoarea Project, thanks to which, without them, such a project would not have been possible. The sponsor has not been involved in the development of the study or in the writing of the report, they have not been involved in the publication decision. The authors declare that they do not present any type of conflict of interest and have actively collaborated in the preparation and revision of the manuscript.