Randomization
cough, pain, blindness
BLINDNESS
A predesigned form was used to record the names of patients requiring venipuncture. This study used simple random sampling to ensure blindness and randomization. Using a computer-generated sequence, eligible participants were randomly allocated to four groups. We sequentially numbered opaque and sealed envelopes. In a sealed envelope, information about patients is contained that assigns them to one of four groups. Each child was asked to pick out one of these envelopes. Of the 176 patients who agreed to participate, four groups were randomized. Each group included 44 patients. The children were randomly divided into four groups: 44 were assigned to the TICK-B group, 44 to the balloon infusion group, 44 to the cough trick group, and 44 to the control group. Four children from the control group did not have their samples tested due to being in a hurry. From the cough trick, one child had unmeasured outcomes while three others refused to cough. In the TICK-B group, three children had unmeasured outcomes, and one refused to color. In the balloon inflation group, two of the participants had unmeasured outcomes and the other two refused to inflate the balloon.The randomization envelopes for each intervention were assigned by the ward nurse, who was blinded to the study. Families and children were informed of the group to which they had been assigned. The opaque sealed envelopes blinded nurses, parents, and children to groupings. The allocation was concealed by randomly assigning one child to each study group from each room in the emergency department. In addition, we coordinated with the emergency ward’s head nurse to prevent anyone from entering the room and interrupting. The observer nurse, the children, and their parents were not informed of the main purpose of the study, and the interventions were performed on the patients during venipuncture procedures. This observer is a senior pediatric nurse in the emergency department who was trained in pain and fear assessment by the second author but was not involved in the study design or statistics analysis and had no knowledge of all procedures performed in the study.The venipuncture procedure was performed by a clinical performance nurse with extensive pediatric nursing experience. Nurses were masked from the study’s main objective of the interventions, all assessments, and comparisons of outcomes between participants. To allow comparison between groups, children were asked to rate their pain and fear levels after venipuncture without being informed of the grouping. Additionally, the clinical nurse and parents of the children were instructed not to reveal the nature of the intervention to their children. Therefore, the children were unaware of the aims of the intervention (Fig. 