Prepare children for central line set-ups
Setting up central lines can be a painful and extensive process. Here are three pointers that can make things easier with pediatric patients:
• Explain what’s going on.
Although the patient won’t understand everything that’s going on, some communication is necessary.
"You still want to explain the procedure to them regardless of the fact they’re young children," says Kim Basso, RN, BSN, pediatric transport coordinator at the Medical College of Georgia Children’s Medical Center.
"I tell them where they will be getting stuck and tell them up front it’s going to hurt a lot. You can tell them, I’m sorry it’s going to hurt, and you can yell, but I need you to be still.’ But I don’t tell them too far in advance because I don’t want them to have a lot of time to worry," explains Basso.
• Don’t attempt to minimize the pain.
"I don’t promise it will just be one stick, or that it won’t hurt much. It’s better to never lie; otherwise you’ll lose their trust, and it takes a long time to regain that," says Basso. Even if you may not be seeing that child again, your actions and the child’s response to them will have a lasting effect, and your co-workers will have a much more difficult time, she adds.
• Emphasize the positive.
Try to explain that this big stick may prevent them from having more pain in the long run. "We tell them we can use that line to draw blood, so they won’t need to have other sticks," says Basso.
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