Effectiveness of Squeezing Ball Technique on Reduction of Pain during Insertion of Intravenous Cannulation amongst Hospitalised Toddlers in a Selected Hospital, Kolar

Abstract

Abstract Background: The hospitalised children undergo painful procedures during their treatment, like intravenous (IV) cannulation, leading to significant stress and discomfort. Accurate assessment and management of pain in children are vital in promoting comfort during hospitalisation. Psychological interventions like distraction techniques have been shown to be useful in reducing pain intensity. Aim: The objectives of the study were to evaluate the effectiveness of the squeezing ball technique in the reduction of pain during IV cannulation amongst hospitalised toddlers in experimental and control groups using the FLACC pain scale and to determine the association of pain score amongst hospitalised toddlers with selected demographical variables in experimental and control groups. Methods: A true experimental post-test-only design was adopted. Using the systematic random selection sampling (block number randomisation) technique, 60 hospitalised toddlers aged between 1 and 3 years undergoing IV cannulation, 30 in the intervention group and 30 in the control group, were included in the study. The pain was assessed using the FLACC pain rating scale. Results: The result showed that there was a significant decrease in the mean pain score of hospitalised toddlers in the experimental group (pain score = 8.26 ± 1.22) compared to the control group (pain score = 9.0 ± 0.87) during IV cannulation. There was no association between the sociodemographic variables and pain scores of hospitalised toddlers. Conclusion: The study reveals that the squeezing ball technique is effective in reducing pain amongst hospitalised toddlers admitted to the children’s ward.