Now Available: Procedural Anxiety and Fear Resources

Health care experiences can be stressful and overwhelming for children and families, especially when procedures are involved. TREKK is pleased to share a new evidence-informed resource focused on recognizing and managing pediatric procedural anxiety and fear in emergency care settings.

The new Procedural Anxiety and Fear Bottom Line Recommendations is a concise summary of the latest evidence related to the management of procedural anxiety and fear in pediatric emergency care.  An Evidence Repository featuring a curated collection of best available evidence was collated by the knowledge synthesis team at Alberta Research Centre for Health Evidence (ARCHE) to inform the Bottom Line Recommendations content.

This resource was developed to support healthcare providers in reducing distress, improving patient experiences, and helping children and youth feel safer during medical procedures. They include practical, accessible strategies that can be used across a variety of emergency care settings.

The new resources highlight approaches to:

• Recognize and address procedural anxiety and fear in children
• Support trauma-informed pediatric care
• Use anxiolysis and non-pharmacologic strategies to reduce distress
• Improve procedural success while minimizing negative healthcare experiences

As Erin Field, parent partner, notes, “Addressing pediatric mental health is an important part of healthcare and does not have to be complicated.” With growing awareness of the short- and long-term impacts of medical trauma, these resources aim to help healthcare teams create more positive experiences for children and families.

Dr. Samina Ali also emphasizes that managing pain alone may not always be enough: children’s fear of a procedure can be significant, and anxiolysis can help reduce distress while supporting successful care. The resource includes practical options, many of which do not require IV insertion, to help make anxiolysis more accessible and efficient in emergency settings.

The Procedural Anxiety and Fear resources were developed collaboratively with clinicians, researchers, knowledge synthesis experts, patient and family partners, and contributors from across Canada, including TREKK; the Alberta Research Centre for Health Evidence (ARCHE), which supported the evidence review process and development of the Evidence Repository; and Solutions for Kids in Pain (SKIP), a national knowledge mobilization network focused on improving children’s pain management through evidence-based solutions, collaboration, and education. TREKK would like to thank all contributors and members of the development team for their expertise and collaboration in creating these resources.

TREKK also offers additional resources related to this topic, including:

• Agitation
• Anxiety
• Pain Treatment
• Procedural Pain
• Procedural Sedation
• Caring for Children with Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities in the ED

Explore the new Procedural Anxiety and Fear resources and help support more positive healthcare experiences for children and families.