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The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of topical anesthesia and acupressure at the Yintang (Extra 1) and the Laogong (P-8) points on the severity of venipuncture pain among hospitalized 6–12-year-old children. A sample ( n = 120) of 6–12-year-old hospitalized children was recruited from two teaching hospitals located in Rafsanjan, Iran. The children were allocated to the topical anesthesia, acupressure, and control groups. For children in the topical anesthesia and the acupressure groups, eutectic mixture of local anesthetic (EMLA) cream and two-point acupressure were used, respectively, prior to performing venipuncture, whereas children in the control group only received routine prevenipuncture care. The severity of venipuncture pain was evaluated 5 minutes after performing venipuncture by using the Face, Leg, Activity, Cry, and Consolability behavioral pain assessment scale. The findings revealed that pain severity in both experimental groups was significantly lower than that in the control group, whereas there was no significant difference between the experimental groups regarding pain severity. Although acupressure was as effective as topical anesthesia cream in alleviating children's venipuncture pain, nurses are recommending to use acupressure instead of pharmacological pain management agents because of its greater safety, cost-effectiveness, and applicability.

Pressure ulcer prevention needs nurses' awareness of sore classification/onset, its item characteristics, and its prevention. Using Pieper's Pressure Ulcer Knowledge Test, 126 critical care nurses' knowledge about pressure ulcer was examined. The questionnaire was divided into three categories including: (1) sore classification/onset; (2) wound characteristics, and (3) preventive measure. The level of nurse's knowledge was insufficient. The highest rate of correct answers belonged to section 2 - prevention of pressure ulcer. Programs aimed at raising nurses' knowledge accompanied by interventions intended to decrease incidence of pressure ulcer are important parts in educational programs. Continuing education may need to be added to the pressure ulcer care to improve the quality of care at intensive care units.