Sugar water and comfort for babies Archives

Blog Post

Can holding children down for shots traumatize them? A health psychologist says yes.

I’m a health psychologist and expert in medical illness, trauma, and pain, with 25 years of experience. If I could wipe out any practice that happens on the daily in medicine, VERY high on my list is holding down kids for medical procedures. While science and best practice guidelines from top medical organizations clearly say holding down kids is a terrible idea, it still happens every single day.

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Comfort Positions: A Guide for Parents and Healthcare Professionals

This guide shows you how to keep kids safe, and help them feel supported, during medical procedures.

Article

A hospital-wide initiative to eliminate or reduce needle pain in children using lean methodology

Released in 2018 by the International Association of the Study of Pain, this article outlines a hospital created a new standard of care around pain, and addressing the fact that pain remains common, underrecognized, and undertreated in children’s hospitals and pediatric clinics. Available open source.

World Health Organization: Reducing pain at time of vaccination position paper

This position paper, released in September 2015 reviews the research, and outlines the recommendations for managing vaccination pain.

Pediatric pain treatment and prevention for hospitalized children

The article from the International Association of Pain Reports reviews the latest research in prevention and treatment of acute and chronic pain in children. Available open source.