COMFORT TECHNIQUES AND

POSITIONS
BY BLANDINE ALEXANDRE RN BSN

Objectives
Nurses will be able to describe ways to talk to children.
Nurses will be able to state appropriate language that
should be used when communicating with children.
Nurses will be able to position the child in a comforting
manner to maintain a quiet, helpful atmosphere.
Nurses will be able to describe different reasons why we
position for comfort.

Talking to children
Eye level
Introduction
Honesty
Child friendly language

LANGUAGE
Medical term

Child friendly term

IV

A small straw that will enter your vein

Blue lines that hold your blood.

Vein

Rubber band that helps me to see your veins better.

Tourniquet

A tight squeeze to show how your heart is pumping

Blood pressure cuff

Pulse ox

Red light that measures your breathing

DISTRACTION
BUBBLES
IPAD
SINGING
COUNTING
PROCEDURES IN TREATMENT ROOM

Comfort positions

Advantages
Greater immobility of childs arm
Movement of child in parents lap does not affect movement of childs
arm held by separate person
Hugging motion decreases patient arm movement
Minimal movement of trunk because legs are swinging back and forth
from knee
Restriction by parents in a positive, comforting position
Parents body supports the child and allows for maximal body contact
Decreases negative experience for patient, which increases response to
future experiences

Why Position for Comfort

Family center care
Parents who interact with their child during a procedure are calmer and have
increased satisfaction
Developmental focus
Sitting up in infancy is accompanied by sense of control
Lying children down results in a loss of control and is frightening
When developmental milestone reached, mere act of making child lie down
usually results in struggle to get up
Psychosocial focus
IVs are the 2nd most common cause of worst pain experienced during
hospitalization *
Fear, anxiety and tension heighten a childs response to pain
Painful procedures result in negative memory and greater pain in future
procedures

http://www.childrensmercy.org/Patients_and_Families/Sup
port_and_Services/Child_Life/Comfort_Positions

https://youtu.be/VOqIVIFN5Bo?t=804

A. What is the best reason to use comfort position doing a medical

procedure?
a. To make the doctor happy
b. To make the parent happy
c. To help parents and caregivers minimize children's
movement during stressful procedures.
D. To get a good Press Ganey response

What is the best reason to use comfort position doing a medical

procedure?
a. To make the doctor happy
b. To make the parent happy
c. To help parents and caregivers minimize children's
movement during stressful procedures.
D. To get a good Press Ganey response

References
Cummings, E., Reid, G., Finley, G., McGrath, P. & Ritchie, J. (1996).
Prevalence and source of pain in pediatric inpatients. Pain, 68, 25-31.
**Chen, E., Craske, M. & Katz, E. (2000). Childrens memories for
painful cancer treatment procedures; Implications for distress. Child
Dev., 71, 933-947
Stephens, B.K., Barkey, M.E., Hall, H.R. (1999). Techniques to
Comfort Children During Stressful Procedures. Advances In MindBody Medicine, 15, (1), 49-60.
https://
wiki.umms.med.umich.edu/download/attachments/118333019/Large+Comfort+Position+P
oster+11-29-2010_edited-1.JPG
Retrieved October 21,2017