Technology-Based Interventions for Pain in Children Undergoing Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Mustafa Volkan Düzgün, Cafer Özdemir, Ayşegül İşler and 1 others
PMID 39837346WHAT IT FOUND
Technology-based distraction and educational tools modestly reduced pain scores in children undergoing surgery across 14 randomized trials with 1091 participants, but benefit varied widely by intervention and measurement.
Key findings
01Pooled analysis of 14 randomized trials with 1091 children found technology-based interventions significantly reduced pain scores (Hedges' g = 0.37, p = 0.004, 95% CI [0.12, 0.63]).
02High heterogeneity (Q = 52.133, p < 0.001, I² = 75.06%) was partly explained by sample size, measurement tools and intervention types.
03Several included trials reported no significant difference in pain scores, including p = 0.54, p = 0.66 and p = 0.06.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The pooled effect came from 14 trials with very different technologies, durations, settings and pain scales, so the average effect may not apply to any one intervention. Heterogeneity was high (I² = 75.06%), and sample size, measurement tools and intervention types explained part of that variability. Risk of bias was not low: only 3 studies were rated low overall, 9 had some concerns and 2 were high risk; concerns often involved randomization or differences in interventions. Six included studies had no registered clinical trial protocol, and two did not report CONSORT flow diagrams. Grey literature was not searched, so relevant unpublished trials may be missing. Because the technologies and measurement tools differed, the review cannot identify which single technology is best.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that technology-based interventions reliably control pediatric surgical pain or can replace pharmacological care. The average benefit was modest, the trials varied widely, and several individual studies found no significant difference.