Vibration associated with cryotherapy to relieve pain in children

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The administration of intramuscular drugs and peripheral venous puncture are procedures that use needles cause pain, especially in children. This painful experience generates distress, phobia, tachycardia, refusal to further treatments, anxiety, and sadness in parents. The use of non-pharmacological methods such as vibration and cold for pain relief in children has become a reliable alternative. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between vibration and cryotherapy as a strategy for the relief of pain in children undergoing procedures with the use of needles. CONTENTS: This is an integrative review, in which articles were searched in the Pubmed, Medline, BDENF and LILACS databases, using the descriptors: “Child”, “Vibration”, “Cryotherapy” and “Pain” associated with the Boolean operator “and”. After the selection and reading of the articles in full, they were systematically synthesized and classified with a level of scientific evidence 2. Studies have shown that the association between vibration and cryotherapy is effective in reducing pain in children with or without cognitive alterations, also reducing their and parents’ anxiety during procedures performed with needles. CONCLUSION: The implementation of vibration associated with cryotherapy during the administration of injectable drugs and the installation of a peripheral venous device can reduce the fear, anguish, and anxiety in children, calming the parents and benefiting health professionals.