Music to Reduce Pain and Anxiety in the Pediatric Emergency Department

Distress, Pain

children undergoing intravenous placement in the pediatric emergency department

Many medical procedures aimed at helping children can cause them pain and distress. If children experience certain levels of pain or distress, it can have long lasting negative effects. The emergency department can be a particularly stressful place for children and their parents. There are also many procedures that children may have in the emergency department that can cause pain and distress. These include procedures such as needle pokes, stitches, or setting a broken bone. Two common methods of managing a child's pain in the emergency department are drugs and distraction. Drugs are not always practical and may come with unwanted side effects. Distraction is often used formally or informally and by parents or the health professionals. One form of distraction involves listening to music. This can lower the child's pain and distress by moving their attention from the painful stimulus, for example a needle poke, to a more pleasant sensation such as familiar children's songs. This study will test whether music is useful to help lower pain and distress for young children (ages 3 to 6 years) who are visiting an emergency department and need an intravenous line. Music is safe and pleasant for children. The results from this study could be important for many children receiving medical care.

Canada