It is very important that nurses make pain management a high priority to help children cope. One such nonpharmacologic pain management tool is a technique called distraction. Distraction is a cognitive strategy. You have the child focus his attention on something other than the pain or negative emotions that accompany pain. It is a simple, time-efficient, inexpensive intervention that can be adapted to all ages.
Distraction can have powerful effects.
The goal of distraction is to decrease the perception of pain and promote coping strategies to decrease pain to a tolerable level. This can increase the patient's sense of control. When a child is experiencingan invasive procedure, distraction may break the cycle of tension prior to the procedure. This leads to a more relaxed state and provides competing stimuli for the pain stimuli during the procedure Parental involvement is very important. They can provide information of previous pain experiences, coping strategies, and identify strong distracters that can be used.