'I'm not afraid now': An ER offers treatments for kids afraid of needles, shots
Doctors and nurses know firsthand how quickly some kids can freak out about needles.
That's one reason why Emerson Health in Concord, Massachusetts, is using a new system for giving shots.
The change has already helped 9-year-old Violet.
"It's not really that big of a deal to me," she said. "I'm not afraid to get a shot now."
Her parents credit the hospital's new "comfort promise." It's designed to reassure kids who are nervous about needles. It also makes the entire process less painful.
"The unknown is scary for them," said Vicky Hopley, a child life specialist for the pediatric intervention team at Emerson. "When they know what to expect — and know that we've taken the time to hear what they're afraid of — it really helps."
The conversation often starts in the emergency room, where some kids may require a shot or an IV.
That's when nurses take out this toolbox containing simple devices that are scientifically proven to reduce discomfort.
"It kind of desensitizes the area," ER nurse David Ramsey said as he held a small ice pack called "Buzzy" because it's shaped like a bee and vibrates. "Hold it there for a little while, and then we can slide it up to do the IV below that site."
Ramsey's other favorite is called the Shot Blocker, which has small plastic bumps that also desensitizes when it's placed on the skin.
For infants, nurses can open small containers of sugar water where parents can dip a pacifier.
For teenage patients, the staff offers virtual reality goggles or fidget spinners.
"It doesn't matter how old you are," Hopley said. "Children's memories are imprinted on their brain from very early on. That's why I think people are really thinking differently about pokes and needles for children — that it isn't, you know, 'Suck it up. He can do it.' It's like, how can we protect children emotionally from the trauma that's often around needle pokes."
Even an ER nurse can relate.
"I remember as a kid myself, kicking and screaming," Ramsey said. "It took sometimes six or seven people to hold me down."
But for Violet and her family, the experience was completely different. They arrived at Emerson's ER last month for rabies shots after discovering a bat in their house.
"They give you the shots based off your body weight," Violet's mom, Abigail, said. "So it's multiple shots per person."
Violet and her siblings each needed three.
"You say, 'Oh wow, this is going to be a core memory' — and not in a good way," Abigail said. "Everyone's going to have PTSD. No one's going to want to go to the doctor's ever again."
That's when the emergency room staff took out the toolbox — and the bee.
"Buzzy made it feel like nothing, really," Violet said. "Just a little pinch."
And now her mom believes their nightmares about needles may be over.
"No one's afraid to come back to the hospital," Abigail said. "No one's afraid of the ER. I thought it was wonderful."
