“When someone stabs you”: children’s perspectives of venepuncture

The suffering experienced by children during phlebotomy or cannulation has been well documented from observations of nurses and parents. 1 2 Despite several proven interventions that reduce the impact of these procedures, such as topical anaesthesia, play therapy and distraction, 3 - 6 few specialist trainees are properly trained in venepuncture or know about the use of these interventions, markedly contrasting with paediatric phlebotomists (private correspondence (2008) describing standard training in the phlebotomy department at John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford).