Cartoons vs. stress balls: which distracts kids from needle pain?
NCT ID NCT07417852
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Aug 11, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This trial will test two simple distraction methods—watching cartoons or squeezing a stress ball—to see which reduces pain during blood draws in 120 children aged 4-12. Kids will be randomly assigned to one method, and pain will be measured right after the needle. The goal is to help nurses choose the best way to make blood draws less scary and painful.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- cartoon videos and stress balls
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could give nurses a simple, drug-free way to make blood draws less painful for children.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial that hasn't started yet. The methods are simple distractions, so the effect on pain may be modest or vary by child.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 120 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Sep 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Jan 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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2 to 12 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Children aged 4-12 years * Requiring venipuncture for routine blood testing * Able to watch cartoon video during procedure * Parental consent obtained Exclusion Criteria: * Developmental delay preventing cooperation * Severe anxiety disorder * Visual impairment * Non-English/Arabic speaking parents
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As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Karbala Pediatric Teaching Hospital Al-Hussein Medical City Karbala, Iraq
Karbala, Karbala Governorate, 0694, Iraq
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