Preparing children for venous blood sampling.

A convenience sample of 100 children, aged 6-12 years, attending Kuwait government hospital laboratories for venous blood sampling was studied. A picture book was used to prepare half of the children for the procedure. Preparation was carried out just prior to sampling and took less than 5 min. The story provided a simple description of venous blood sampling, and why it is carried out; it stressed that the pain is noticeable but not unbearable, and that children will experience less pain if they relax their arm and cooperate with the technician. Prepared children reported significantly less pain, and radial pulse rates confirmed that they were less distressed by the procedure. Observers' and parents' evaluations also indicated that prepared children coped better. Various explanations for the benefits observed are discussed, together with requirements for managing the pain, fear and stress experienced by children during medical treatment.