The effect of using toy and cartoon character masks on pain and anxiety during peripheral intravenous catheterization in children

The study was carried out as a randomized controlled experimental study to investigate the effect of the nurse wearing a cartoon character mask and the child playing with a sound and light toy on the child's pain and parental anxiety during peripheral intravenous catheterization in children aged 4-6 years. The population of the study consisted of children aged 4-6 years admitted to the pediatric emergency department of a university hospital in Istanbul between March 2022 and March 2023, and the sample consisted of 120 children (40 toy group, 40 cartoon character mask group and 40 control group) who met the selection criteria. Institutional permission, ethics committee permission and informed consent were obtained from the relevant institution. Toys with sound and light, masks with cartoon characters, Descriptive Information Form, Wong Baker Faces Pain Scale (WBFPS), Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and State Anxiety Inventory (SAI) were used for data collection. The toy group started to play with the toy 1 min before the procedure, and in the cartoon character mask group, the nurse who would perform the procedure met the child 1 min before the procedure with a cartoon character mask on. In the control group, the intervention nurse wore a white surgical mask. In all groups, the mother was with the child during the procedure. The groups were similar in terms of descriptive characteristics. During the procedure, the WBPF scores of the children in the experimental groups were significantly lower (p<0.001). According to the mothers' assessment, the VAS score of the mask group with cartoon characters during the procedure was lower than the control group (p<0.001). There was a statistically moderate positive statistically significant correlation between children's WBFP scores before and during the procedure and the VAS scores given by the parents for the child (p<0.001). There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of mothers' DCI scores (p>0.05). It was concluded that playing with a toy with sound and light and wearing a mask with cartoon characters by the nurse during peripheral catheterization were effective in reducing the pain of children aged 4-6 years. In order to reduce the pain of children aged 4-6 years during painful interventions in pediatric emergency departments, it is recommended to use materials that attract and divert the attention of children. July 2025, 75 pages. Keywords: Pain, Toy, Child, Figured Mask, Peripheral Intravenous Catheterization