Intravenous access procedures in children are considered to be one of the most stressful because it is invasive, and the use of needles generates anxiety, insecurity, and fear. Playful strategies using dolls and even the materials used for venipuncture can assist children in understanding, accepting, and coping with the procedure. Field research was developed on the applicability of the therape...

Venipuncture is perhaps the scariest aspect of hospitalization for children as it causes pain and high levels of behavioral distress. Pain is a complex experience which is also influenced by social factors such as cultural attitudes, beliefs and traditions. Studies focusing on ethnic/cultural differences in pain perception and behavioral distress show controversial results, in particular with r...

BACKGROUND Procedural pain reduces the quality of life of cancer patients. Although there are recommendations for its prevention, there are some obstacles for its management. The purpose of this study was to analyze the barriers to procedural pain prophylaxis in cancer patients reflecting the views of the nurses. METHODS We used qualitative methodology based on semi-structured interviews cond...

We compared how measurements of pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) and the free beta subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin (fβ-hCG) in maternal blood are influenced by different methods for blood collection, sample matrix, and immunoassay platform. Serum and dried blood spots (DBS) were obtained by venipuncture and by finger prick of 19 pregnant women. PAPP-A and fβ-hCG from serum...

This paper reports on the implementation of web-based training in venipuncture as standardizable knowledge transfer. For this purpose, we performed an experimental study with nursing students and medical students.

OBJECTIVE To complete a systematic review of emergency department (ED) practices for reducing hemolysis in blood samples sent to the clinical laboratory for testing. RESULTS A total of 16 studies met the review inclusion criteria (12 published and 4 unpublished). All 11 studies comparing new straight needle venipuncture with IV starts found a reduction in hemolysis rates, [average risk ratio ...

Venipuncture, the most frequently performed invasive medical procedure, is usually benign. Generally it produces only transitory mild discomfort. Venipuncture-induced neuropathic pain is hard to recognize at an early stage.Medical literature reviews show that there is not adequate medical knowledge about this important subject. The inciting incident in complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) can ...

BACKGROUND Collection of buccal cells from saliva for DNA extraction offers a less invasive and convenient alternative to venipuncture blood collection that may increase participation in genetic epidemiologic studies. However, dried blood spot collection, which is also a convenient method, offers a means of collecting peripheral blood samples from which analytes in addition to DNA can be obtain...

INTRODUCTION Frequent PT (INR) testing may represent a problem for patients on warfarin treatment, and capillary or small-volume tubes may be more appropriate for such patients. A demand for small-volume tubes also comes from pediatric wards. Yet, while various small-volume tubes are available, they have not been properly evaluated. METHODS Three small-volume tubes were tested (MiniCollect 3....