The Effect of Medical Clowns on Blood Pressure Measurement in Children Presenting to the Emergency Department

Abstract

Background: Blood pressure (BP) is routinely measured while triaging children presenting to the pediatric emergency department (PED). Objectives: To determine whether a medical clown shortens the time to acquire a BP measurement among children undergoing triage in the PED. Methods: The study comprised 133 children. Patients were assigned to one of two groups: with a medical clown or without a medical clown. Results: The presence of a medical clown led to a significantly shorter time to acquire a blood pressure measurement (60 ± 23 seconds vs. 81 ± 43.5 seconds, P < 0.001. Clowns had a significant effect on shortening total triage length among children of Jewish ethnicity compared to Arab ethnicity (113 ± 353.6 seconds vs. 154 ± 418 seconds, P= 0.012). Conclusions: Using medical clowns while measuring BP during triage when used in a culturally appropriate manner shortens time.