Pain is a subjective experience. A child will respond to these experiences according to their developmental level. Nurses are often present during these procedures. 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.