Medical clowns versus sedation for paediatric urinary catheter insertion—A randomised pilot study

Abstract

Various urological examinations require temporary urethral catheter insertion. For the paediatric population, this procedure can induce pain, cause distress to the patients and parents and could defer the family from further evaluation or treatment. 1 In recent years, medical clowns (MCs) have been investigated as an alternative to sedation or analgesics during invasive and stress inducing procedures in the paediatric population. In a previous publication, we have shown that utilisation of MCs as an integral part of the surgical team, decreases child's anxiety, shortens recovery time and lowers overall medical costs, in penile surgery patients. 2 Our findings are supported by current literature showing MC to be helpful during additional invasive procedures as venipuncture or line insertion, linking MC to improved pain and anxiety scores. [2][3][4][5]

Clown care in the clinical nursing of children: a meta-analysis and systematic review

“…It is worth noting that clown care may vary in its methods and content depending on the age of children involved. On the one hand, pleasant experiences can promote the production of endorphins in the brain, thereby reducing pain ( 35 ). In addition, by diverting children's attention, clown care can reduce their attention to pain ( 36 ).…”

“…In addition, when children seek medical treatment, caregivers show excessive anxiety and tension due to a lack of disease-related knowledge and limited experience in providing care ( 42 ). Clown care translates professional medical knowledge into everyday terms to increase caregivers’ understanding of disease-related knowledge and alleviate their anxiety levels ( 10 , 35 ).…”