Assessment Tools for Pain Severity during Venipuncture in Preschool-Age Children: A Systematic Review

Introduction: Improper use of standards for measurement instruments can impact the accuracy of study results. Therefore, this study was designed with the aim of conducting a systematic review on "Instruments for measuring pain intensity during venous catheter insertion in preschool children." Materials and Methods: In this systematic review, conducted from October ۲۰۲۳ to January ۲۰۲۳, an open search was carried out for articles in both domestic databases such as Scientific Information Database (SID), MagIran, and Iran Medex, and international databases such as PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Scopus using keywords such as preschool period, pain intensity, cannulation, vein removal, pain scale, pain relief, pain perception, and pain sensation. The purpose of this search was to examine the measurement tools utilized to assess pain intensity during venipuncture in preschool-aged children without a time restriction. Duplicate articles were excluded, and other studies meeting the inclusion criteria were reviewed. Articles were assessed by two researchers, and any discrepancies were resolved by a third author. Result: Among all the reviewed studies, ۲۱ studies conducted between ۲۰۰۱ and ۲۰۲۳ met the inclusion criteria. The tools utilized in these studies to assess pain intensity during venous catheter insertion in preschool children included Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, and Consolability (FLACC), Wong-Baker, Oucher, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), and Poker Chip Scale (PCS). The Wong-Baker instrument was a self-assessment, FLACC was assessed by both the researcher and a reviewer, Oucher was a self-assessment, VAS was assessed by parents and reviewers, and PCS was a self-assessment. CONCLUSION: Researchers who do not adhere to tool standards often opt to utilize tools based on the methods of other studies or their own requirements, which could potentially impact the outcomes of their studies.

کلیدواژه ها:

Child ، pain ، Catheterization ، Instrumentation