Distraction of Children Undergoing Vaccination

Abstract

Vaccination is a procedure considered painful for children; therefore, the healthcare team should provide conditions for adequate pain assessment and control. This study sought to evaluate whether behavioral distraction procedures contribute to reduce pain perception and anxiety indicators in children during vaccination. One hundred and four children between three and 12 years attending a Health Center in the Federal District participated in the study. Children were divided into four groups: baseline, groups with balloons, cards and tablets. Data were obtained by means of sociodemographic questionnaires, the Monica and Friends Pain Scale and the Observational Scale of Distress Behavior. The collected data were measured using the SPSS Statistics program. Results show that the intervention groups had lower averages, concerning pain levels, incidence of competing behaviors and duration of vaccine procedures, compared to baseline.