“How to calm a child through blood work?”
My 7 year old needs blood work and is petrified. How to calm a child through blood work?
6 Answers
Deep breathing, distraction with his favorite toy or stuff animal, counting in a calm tone, comfort positioning. Now, describing step by step what is expecting while doing. The procedure helps the child to calm down. Also give the child an opportunity to know by a countdown to the poke or look away. This provides the child a sense of control. Be honest with your child about bloodwork. It is important to explain the process. Thank you.
Usually takes a child friendly, capable nurse/ lab tech/physician to perform the task swiftly and requires CALM PARENTS.
Trypanophobia or Needle Phobia.
Fear is a perception of danger. It is one of the primitive reflexes used by humans either to confront or flee from the danger. Most fears have rational bases while some fears are irrational. When the fear is irrational it becomes a phobia. Phobias can be specific like to sharp objects, such as hypodermic needles and surgical instruments (Trypanophobia or needle phobia) or generalized. Phobias can have genetic bases or can be acquired after traumatic events. Most phobias may stem from traumatic experience such as skin puncture by a needle (needle phobia).
About 20% of Americans do not like needles or sharp objects. About 10% have some degree of needle phobia. Of the people with needle phobia about 20% will go to extreme to avoid any medical procedures or doctor visits even though they may be in a bad situation. Needle phobia is therefore very real in many children and may be a source of stress and avoidance of doctor visits.
Needle phobias can be managed by various ways;
1) Cognitive behavioral therapy; is effective treatment of phobia. The technic involves systemic desensitization using various degrees of exposure to the needle to eventually tolerate the needle injections. Initially they get exposed to the plastic syringe with out the needle, and slowly with the syringe and the needle on it, and eventually they practice with needle injections.
2) Use of skin numbing creams such as EMLA cream, Syneral patch, Ametop gel etc are very helpful.
3) Use of freezing agents such as Ethyl chloride spray to provide superficial skin pain is also helpful.
4) Laughing Gas can also be used with some success in some conditions.
5) Sedating agents such as Xanax, Valium, Ativan, and klonapinn can be used with good succes. Between 0.5 to 1 mg of these sedating agens can be administered 1 hour before the procedure to calm down the person.
6) In the worst case scenarios general anesthesia can be used to perform certain procedure.
If your son has extreme needle phobia seeing a psychologist for cognitive behavioral therapy through systemic desensitization technics will be a good choice followed by use of local anesthetic creams. The sedating agents mentioned above could also be used.
Good Luck.
Fear is a perception of danger. It is one of the primitive reflexes used by humans either to confront or flee from the danger. Most fears have rational bases while some fears are irrational. When the fear is irrational it becomes a phobia. Phobias can be specific like to sharp objects, such as hypodermic needles and surgical instruments (Trypanophobia or needle phobia) or generalized. Phobias can have genetic bases or can be acquired after traumatic events. Most phobias may stem from traumatic experience such as skin puncture by a needle (needle phobia).
About 20% of Americans do not like needles or sharp objects. About 10% have some degree of needle phobia. Of the people with needle phobia about 20% will go to extreme to avoid any medical procedures or doctor visits even though they may be in a bad situation. Needle phobia is therefore very real in many children and may be a source of stress and avoidance of doctor visits.
Needle phobias can be managed by various ways;
1) Cognitive behavioral therapy; is effective treatment of phobia. The technic involves systemic desensitization using various degrees of exposure to the needle to eventually tolerate the needle injections. Initially they get exposed to the plastic syringe with out the needle, and slowly with the syringe and the needle on it, and eventually they practice with needle injections.
2) Use of skin numbing creams such as EMLA cream, Syneral patch, Ametop gel etc are very helpful.
3) Use of freezing agents such as Ethyl chloride spray to provide superficial skin pain is also helpful.
4) Laughing Gas can also be used with some success in some conditions.
5) Sedating agents such as Xanax, Valium, Ativan, and klonapinn can be used with good succes. Between 0.5 to 1 mg of these sedating agens can be administered 1 hour before the procedure to calm down the person.
6) In the worst case scenarios general anesthesia can be used to perform certain procedure.
If your son has extreme needle phobia seeing a psychologist for cognitive behavioral therapy through systemic desensitization technics will be a good choice followed by use of local anesthetic creams. The sedating agents mentioned above could also be used.
Good Luck.
Take him to his pediatrician, he may prescribe some medications or behavioral techniques.
Talk to your child calmly about what is going to happen and why. Talk to your doctor and the nurses who will be drawing the blood about your child's fears before the exam begins. See if they have any advise. Develop a game pam with them and you on how to approach this. If the tests are not absolutely necessary, postpone or cancel. Something else to discuss with the doctor.
RB Thomas, MD
RB Thomas, MD
Explaining and demonstrating the procedure on a doll, while answering questions and addressing fears, may allay a child's fear. If possible, allowing her/him to pick the site for the blood draw may also help calm her/him. Allowing your 7 year old to play her/his favorite video game, hold her/his favorite toy, or listen to her/his favorite music can calm and distract her/him before and during a blood draw. Holding her/his hand during the procedure helps too.
