The Effect of Using Finger Puppets and Showing Cartoons on Pain and Fear in Preschool Children During Blood Collection

NCT07237074 | Active Not Recruiting DMC

• 1 other identifier: HititU-SBF-ZÇ-01
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 120
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The study is a randomized controlled experimental study aimed at determining the effect of showing cartoons or using finger puppets to children aged 3-6 years before taking venous blood samples on their pain levels. Based on the results of this study, it is thought that showing cartoons and using finger puppets before blood collection will help reduce pain levels in children and improve their ability to cope with pain, thereby improving the quality of care. In this context, the study will be conducted to determine the effect of showing cartoons and using finger puppets before blood collection on pain in pediatric patients.

Conditions

Fear; Pain

Keywords

blood collection; watching cartoons; finger puppet

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale

  Pain scores are given according to the numerical values assigned to the faces on this scale. It is explained to the child that the faces on the scale do not represent people who are happy because they are not in pain or unhappy because they are in pain. A very happy person is Face 0. A little pain is Face 1, a little more pain is Face 2, a little more pain is Face 3, and quite a lot of pain is Face 4. Face 5 represents the highest level of pain that can be imagined. The child is asked to choose the face that best describes the pain they are feeling.

  4 months

• Children's Fear Scale (CFS)

  CFS is used to score the fear that may cause pain in children before or during the procedure. The scale is a visual measurement tool consisting of five drawn lines ranging from a neutral facial expression (0 = no fear) to a frightened facial expression (4 = very afraid), with scores ranging from 0 to 4. The scale is used to assess the fear of pain in children before or during a procedure. The scale is a visual measurement tool consisting of five drawn lines ranging from a neutral facial expression (0 = no fear) to a frightened facial expression (4 = very afraid), with scores ranging from 0 to 4. The scale is used to assess the fear of pain in children before or during a procedure. . The Turkish language validity and psychometric properties of the scale used to assess procedural fears in children aged 5-12 were tested

  4 months

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Information Form

  4 months

Study Arms (3)

finger puppet group

EXPERIMENTAL

During the blood collection procedure, 40 children were randomly selected to play with finger puppets.

Other: showing finger puppets during blood collection

watching cartoons group

EXPERIMENTAL

During the blood collection procedure, 40 children were randomly selected to watch cartoons.

Other: cartoons

control group

EXPERIMENTAL

No intervention was performed on the children.

Other: control group

Interventions

showing finger puppets during blood collection OTHER

finger puppets

finger puppet group

cartoons OTHER

Watching cartoons during blood collection

watching cartoons group

control group OTHER

No intervention was made during blood collection

control group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 3 Years - 6 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• The child and parent agree to participate in the study.
• The child is between 3 and 6 years old.
• The child has no acute pain complaints.
• The child has no disabilities.

You may not qualify if:

• The child and parent refuse to participate in the study.
• The child is under 3 years of age or over 6 years of age.
• The child has acute pain complaints.
• The child has any disability.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Hitit University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Hitit University Erol Olçok Education and Research Hospital

Çorum, Merkez, 19200, Turkey (Türkiye)

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Pain

Interventions

Control Groups

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Neurologic Manifestations; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Epidemiologic Research Design; Epidemiologic Methods; Investigative Techniques; Research Design; Methods

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: nurse

Model Details: three groups, including a cartoon and finger puppet group and a control group

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: October 1, 2025
• First Posted: November 19, 2025
• Study Start: May 10, 2025
• Primary Completion: July 25, 2025
• Study Completion: December 1, 2025
• Last Updated: November 26, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-11

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

TU (1)