Child Life Specialists Decrease Procedure Time, Improve Experience, and Reduce Fear in an Outpatient Blood Drawing Lab (CLS Decrease Procedure Time)

Abstract

Children can experience extreme fear when undergoing medical procedures, including blood draws. A growing body of evidence points to the benefits of Child Life Specialists supporting children throughout medical procedures in various medical settings. This prospective cohort study aimed to describe the impact of Child Life Specialist facilitated play on children's fear and caregiver satisfaction in an outpatient blood drawing lab. A nonrandomized convenience sample of 150 children and their caregivers were enrolled. Seventy-five patients received the Child Life Specialist intervention during their blood draw, while the remaining 75 patients were enrolled as controls. Children and caregivers in the intervention group spent less time in the procedure room, with a median time of 3 min (interquartile range: 2-5) as compared to 5 min (interquartile range: 5-6; P < .001) for the control group. Caregivers in the intervention group reported the atmosphere ( P = .032) and experience ( P < .001) more positively, and children reported lower fear scores ( P = .007) as compared to the control group. The findings of this study suggest that Child Life Specialist interventions in pediatric outpatient blood drawing labs improve satisfaction and reduce fear.