Three Distraction Techniques for Pain and Anxiety in Children During Allergy Skin Prick Testing

This randomized controlled trial compared three distraction techniques-animated cartoons, DistrACTION® Cards, and interactive video games-with standard care for reducing procedural pain and anxiety in children aged 6-10 years undergoing allergy skin prick testing. A total of 161 children were randomly assigned to four groups. Pain was rated by the child, a parent, and the researcher with the Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale during and after the procedure, and anxiety was rated by the parent and the researcher with the Children's Fear Scale before, during, and after the procedure.

Inclusion Criteria: * Aged 6-10 years * Referred for allergy skin prick testing * Consent of both child and parent * No analgesic use in the previous six hours * Able to understand the Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale and answer the card questions Exclusion Criteria: * Neurodevelopmental conditions (diagnosis of autism or intellectual disability) * Chronic mental, cognitive, or visual problems * Cognitive, visual, or hearing impairment preventing scale use