The Effect of Balloon Inflating Distraction on Pain Intensity During Venous Blood Sampling in Children: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: A large number of children are subject to prevention, diagnosis, and treatment procedures that mostly require venous blood sampling. Painful procedures such as blood sampling in children have annoying physical and emotional effects and can lead to wider negative consequences such as physical, behavioral, and social disorders in children. This study aimed to determine the effect of distraction by balloon inflating on the amount of pain during taking blood samples from children aged 4 to 7. Method: This study had a randomized controlled clinical trial that was conducted on 80 children admitted to the pediatric department of Imam Khomeini Hospital in Jiroft-Kerman province who met the inclusion criteria after obtaining their parent’s consent. The children were randomly grouped into the intervention (n = 40) and control (n = 40) groups. The pain level in children in the intervention group was measured during the venous blood sampling while the children were watching inflating a balloon. However, the pain in children in the control group was measured without any intervention during blood sampling. Wong–Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale questionnaire was used for pain assessment. Results: : The average pain scores for the children in the two groups showed no significant difference before the intervention but the average pain scores after the intervention in the intervention and control groups were 1.38±2.56 and 4.2±1.58; showing a significant difference between the two groups after the intervention (p-value < 0.05). Conclusion: Using balloon inflation distraction during venous blood sampling reduces pain in children.