Published Paper Details:

Pain during intravenous (IV) cannulation is a common distressing experience for preschool children, often leading to fear, anxiety, and reduced cooperation during medical procedures. Non-pharmacological interventions such as distraction are recognized as effective, safe, and simple methods for reducing procedural pain. The present study aimed to assess the effectiveness of the squeezing ball distraction technique on reducing pain during IV cannulation among preschool children. A quasi-experimental post-test only control group design was adopted, and 50 preschool children were selected through purposive sampling and divided equally into experimental and control groups. Pain was assessed immediately after cannulation using the Wong-Baker Facial Pain Rating Scale. Findings revealed that children in the experimental group experienced only mild pain, with 52% reporting "Hurts Little Bit (2)" and 48% reporting "Hurts Little More (4)." In contrast, the control group demonstrated significantly higher pain levels, with 44% reporting "Hurts Even More (6)," 36% "Hurts Whole Lot (8)," and 8% "Hurts Worst (10)." The mean pain score of the experimental group (2.96) was considerably lower than that of the control group (6.80). The calculated t-value of 71.1 at p < 0.05 confirmed a highly significant difference between the two groups. Chi-square analysis further showed that demographic variables had no association with pain levels. The study concludes that the squeezing ball distraction technique is a simple, cost-effective, non-invasive, and highly effective method for reducing pain during IV cannulation among preschool children. This technique can be readily integrated into routine pediatric nursing practice.