Search

Abstract Background and Aim Venipuncture for blood collection elicits fear and pain in children. We investigated factors that affect satisfaction with health checkups that included blood collection in healthy 7–8‐year‐old children who underwent blood collection with topical anesthesia. Method Two studies, one questionnaire survey, and the other structured interviews were conducted to gather insights and understand the emotions of 492 and 20 children, respectively. Results We found that the following six points can be applied to encourage children to assess their experience of blood collection positively: (1) prior information using a pamphlet; (2) telling the children that the volume of blood drawn will be small; (3) carefully explaining the risk and benefit of topical anesthesia; (4) conducting the blood collection process swiftly; (5) praising and thanking the children's effort and cooperation; and (6) explaining the results of the research to the children if their blood is going to be used for research. Conclusion The findings indicate that with appropriate measures to reduce pain and fear, children's initial negative feelings toward blood collection can be replaced by positive feelings after the procedure.

Abstract Background and Aims Early‐term birth between 37 and 38 weeks of gestation increases the risk of mortality and morbidity. This study investigated the status and impact of early‐term birth among neonates born by cesarean section in Japan. Methods All singleton live births that had data of gestational age at birth available in the Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS), a nationwide birth cohort study launched in 2011, were eligible for this study. Neonates born by cesarean delivery at term without indications for early delivery were included to examine the association between early‐term birth and respiratory distress at birth. The gestational age at birth was categorized as 37 weeks 0 day to 38 weeks 6 days (early‐term), 39 weeks 0 day to 40 weeks 6 day (full‐term), and 41 weeks 0 day to 41 weeks 6 days (late‐term). Respiratory distress at birth included respiratory distress syndrome, transient tachypnea, and difficulty in breathing after birth. Univariable and multivariable analyses were performed using logistic regression models with a two‐tailed significance level of 5%. All statistical analyses were performed using SAS, version 9.4, for Windows (SAS Institute, Cary, NC). Results In total, 32 078 of 100 011 (32.1%) neonates had early‐term birth. At 37 gestational weeks, 49.7% of the deliveries were via cesarean section, and half of the cesarean deliveries were due to a previous cesarean section. Among the 10 051 neonates born by elective cesarean delivery at term, neonates with early‐term births were more likely to have respiratory distress at birth (adjusted odds ratio: 4.19; 95% confidence interval, 1.70, 10.34) than those born at full term. Conclusions Early‐term birth is associated with a high risk of respiratory distress in births involving cesarean delivery without indication for early delivery. There is a need for guidelines for early delivery considering adverse effects of early‐term births.