The development and usability testing of two arts-based knowledge translation tools for pediatric procedural pain
Authors: Le Anne , Hartling Lisa , Scott Shannon D. 
Published: June 2021

Procedures carried out in acute care settings, such as emergency departments (EDs), are among the most common sources of acute pain experienced by children. Such procedures may include intravenous insertions (IVs), venipuncture, and wound irrigation and repair. Inadequately managed procedural pain can cause negative short-term and long-term implications for children, ranging from anxiety to aversion to healthcare. Parents have repeatedly expressed that they do not have the necessary tools to comfort or distract their child during uncomfortable medical procedures. As such, the purpose of this study was to work with parents to develop and evaluate two digital tools for pediatric procedural pain.

A whiteboard animation video and interactive infographic were developed following a systematic review and interview with parents. Prototypes were tested in five ED waiting rooms in two Canadian provinces. Sites included those in urban, rural, and remote settings. Overall, parents rated the tools highly, suggesting that engaging with parents to develop arts-based digital tools is a highly effective method in ensuring that parents can understand and utilize complex health information.

Author Contributions

This study was conducted under the supervision of Drs. Shannon D. Scott (SDS) and Lisa Hartling (LH), PIs for translation Evidence in Child Health to enhance Outcomes (ECHO) Research and the Alberta Research Centre for Health Evidence (ARCHE), respectively. Both PIs designed the research study and obtained research funding through Translating Emergency Knowledge for Kids (TREKK) Networks of Centres of Excellence of Canada (NCE).

SDS designed and supervised all aspects of tool development and evaluation.

LH co-designed and supervised the qualitative study involving interviews with parents and systematic review of parent experiences and information needs.

Tony An developed the infographic.

Kassi Shave conducted and analyzed qualitative interviews with parents.

Anne Le (AL) conducted usability testing.

AL analyzed usability data.

All authors contributed to the writing of this technical report and provided substantial feedback.

This work was funded by:

Networks of Centres of Excellence

Klassen, T., Hartling, L., Jabbour, M., Johnson, D., & Scott, S.D. (2015). Translating emergency knowledge for kids (TREKK). Networks of Centres of Excellence of Canada Knowledge Mobilization Renewal ($1,200,000). January 2016 – December 2019.

Women and Children’s Health Research Institute (WCHRI)

Scott, S.D & Hartling L. (2016). Translating Emergency Knowledge for Kids renewal. Women and Children’s Health Research Institute (matched dollars, $150,000). April 2016 – December 2019.

This report should be cited as

Le, A., Hartling, L., Scott, S.D. (2021). The development and usability testing of two arts-based knowledge translation tools for pediatric procedural pain. Technical Report. ECHO Research, University of Alberta.

Available at: http://www.echokt.ca/research/technical-reports/