Before the Appointment:
You can help calm the anticipation of a visit to the doctor by completing the following steps before you even arrive at the office:
- Explain the process: Use language your child will understand to explain the process of the blood draw/vaccination. And stress that it is not time-consuming as they will need to check their health.
- Hydration: Make sure that your child is hydrated prior to the appointment. Enough water consumption can help locate a vein easily and help to eliminate discomfort during an injection.
- Positive reinforcement: Keeping your child his/her cheerleader during the process. Give them encouragement and praise and tell them that the procedure is a step to keeping them healthy.
- Collaborate with the health care team: Tell the health care professional about the phobia (fear) of your child. Medical virtual reality devices are one of the ways many offices are ready to combat anxious feelings using techniques and technology, like Smileyscope.
Minimizing the Pain:
The following are the methods that enable one to curb the suffering of the procedure:
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Physical numbing: A numbing received should be discussed with the health professional to put a cream of numbing drugs or an ice pack on the area before the process.
- Positioning: Safely put your child in a position that is not painful during the procedure. Discuss with healthcare professional to understand the best position of your child.
- Psychological methods: Try encouraging your child to talk or play his or her favorite music to avoid focusing on the needle. Convince the patient to breathe deep and calm the body.
Combatting the Fear:
In case your child has acquired a fear of medical treatment the following is what you can do to ease your child:
- Positive experiences: Ask informed opinion about the healthcare providers who work with children and whose style does not hurt. Positive experiences are helpful to relieve anxiety and establish a trust relationship.
- Free expression: Teach your child to be open in regards to their fears.
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Role-playing: Use role-playing to become familiar with specific medical procedures (including blood draws). This may serve in getting your child acquainted with the procedure and allay fears.
What Not To Do:
- Reduce or discount fears: Celebrate your child and assure her that she is heard and that you love her.
- Fake that there is no procedure: Do not lie to your child by telling her that there is nothing to fear about the upcoming appointment.
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Threats or bribes: Avert threats or bribes to influence what you want your child to do. This can have adverse association to the procedure.
- Avoid discussing negative experiences: Some patients have negative experiences to share about the medical procedure.
Every child is an individual and you need to adopt a special approach to the discussion of his/her needs. Should the fear or anxiety persist in your child, then a child psychologist or a pediatrician ought to be consulted. It is important to keep in mind that medical anxiety is not a this-is-not-a-real-condition and your children must be taken care of like this, in his or her journey within medical procedures.
Applying the above tricks, you can make sure that shots and blood tests will not be as frightening to your child anymore, and he or she will feel more stable and supported during his visits to the doctor.
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