A simple sticker after invasive procedures lowered children's anxiety in a randomized trial
AI-summarized from the linked source. Educational brief, not medical advice.
Brief summary
In a randomized controlled trial of 72 hospitalized children aged 5 to 10, giving a colorful medical sticker after an invasive procedure significantly reduced anxiety compared with usual care, though it did not significantly reduce pain.
What NurseJet pulled from the source
This randomized controlled trial enrolled 72 hospitalized children aged 5 to 10 years in a pediatrics department in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkiye, with 36 assigned to a sticker group and 36 to a control group. After an invasive procedure, children in the sticker group received a hypoallergenic, latex-free, colorful patterned medical sticker. Pain was assessed with the Visual Analogue Scale and anxiety with the Children's state anxiety measure, using reports from both the child and the researcher. Pain rose during the procedure and fell afterward in both groups (p less than or equal to 0.000). Anxiety was similar before and during the procedure (p greater than 0.05), but after the intervention anxiety was significantly lower in the sticker group than the control group (p = 0.019; p = 0.001). The sticker intervention was not statistically significant in reducing pain, though both children and researchers reported a tendency toward lower pain scores.
Why this matters for nurses
Invasive procedures are a common source of distress for hospitalized children, and pediatric nurses are usually the ones who deliver comfort afterward. This study may matter for nurses because it tests an extremely simple, low-cost tool, a sticker, and finds it eased children's anxiety after procedures, even though it did not clearly change measured pain.
Bedside takeaway
Worth knowing that in a small randomized trial, giving children a sticker after an invasive procedure significantly lowered their anxiety, though it did not significantly reduce measured pain.
Key takeaways
- In this randomized trial of 72 children aged 5 to 10 (36 per group), a colorful medical sticker after an invasive procedure significantly reduced anxiety versus usual care (p = 0.019; p = 0.001).
- The sticker did not produce a statistically significant reduction in pain, though both children and researchers noted a tendency toward lower pain scores.
- Pain increased during the procedure and decreased afterward in both groups (p less than or equal to 0.000).
- The authors describe the sticker as a practical, low-cost, child-centered distraction method for post-procedural support.
Practice implications
- For pediatric nurses, the findings suggest that offering a child a sticker after an invasive procedure may be a simple, low-cost way to reduce anxiety and support a more positive experience. Because the trial was small and single-center and did not show a significant pain reduction, a sticker should be seen as a comfort measure that complements, not replaces, established pain management.
Limitations & cautions
- This was a single-center randomized trial of only 72 children in one region of Turkiye, so results may not generalise to other settings or ages. Anxiety and pain were assessed by scales including researcher report, the pain reduction was not statistically significant, and the short post-procedure window means longer-term effects were not measured.
- AI-summarized from the linked source. Review the original article before applying to practice.
Citations
Exact source links
Public citations are filtered to exact credible source pages. Homepage-only or invalid links stay in admin review and are not shown here.
Journal of Pediatric Nursing (PubMed)
Journal of Pediatric Nursing (PubMed). The effect of sticker intervention on children's pain and anxiety after invasive procedures.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42392007/
Professional education only
