SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – “Kids are afraid of needles,” UCSF’s Dr. Stefan Friedrichsdorf – one of the world’s leading experts in pediatric pain management – told KCBS Radio’s Alice Wertz on the latest “As Prescribed” installment. “And this has huge consequences.”
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In fact, two out of three children have a fear of needles, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These figures hardly get better by the time they become adults, with one in four reporting strong fears around needles, per the CDC.
“These are then adults of who may not get vaccinated, these adults who forego medical care,” said Friedrichsdorf. “We need to do better. And we need to make sure that for every child – every time, everywhere – that we can promise to take pain and anxiety caused by needles away.”
Friedrichsdorf, director Stad Center for Pediatric Pain, Palliative & Integrative Medicine, is on a mission to help reduce this fear of needles. At the Stad Center, they use a variety of techniques to keep children comfortable as they get their treatments – from humor to special creams and integrative medicine.
He calls this this initiative the “Ouchless Jab Challenge” and he’s calling on physicians and clinicians across the country to participate. This challenge includes specific measures such as: offering patients numbing cream before they get shots, never holding down children and offering distraction (from sugar water on pacifiers for babies to bubbles for toddlers and tablet time for older children).
“We’re slowly starting to see a significant change at doctor’s offices and [children’s hospitals] to offer the comfort promise,” said Friedrichsdorf.
In the meantime, he said that parents and caregivers can research the Ouchless Jab Challenge and advocate for children while at facilities that haven’t caught up yet.
Listen to this week’s “As Prescribed” to learn more. You can also listen to last week’s episode to learn about advancements in Crohn’s and colitis care here.
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