Nonpharmacologic Management of Procedural Pain in Pediatric Burn Patients: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

Abstract Pain following burn injury is associated with long-term health consequences in the pediatric population. Literature suggests nonpharmacologic treatment may provide improved pain control as an effective adjunct for these patients. This study aims to summarize randomized controlled trials on nonpharmacologic procedural pain management in pediatric burn patients. A systematic review was conducted on nonpharmacologic procedural pain management techniques used in the pediatric burn population. Fifteen studies were included and involved virtual reality, distraction devices, child life therapy, directed play, digital tablet games, cartoons, hypnosis, and music therapy. Treatment was effective in 8 out of 15 studies. Compared to controls, nonpharmacologic treatments reduced mid procedure pain by 19.7% and post-procedure pain by 20.1%. This study demonstrates that nonpharmacologic therapy can be an effective adjunct in pediatric procedural burn pain management, however further studies are needed to develop standardized algorithms to integrate nonpharmacologic treatments with pharmacologic therapies.