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Decorated needles help calm patients’ fears

August 20, 2006
ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico: Researchers believe they have found a way to make patients less fearful of needles - decorate them with butterflies, flowers and smiley faces.

The researchers at the University of New Mexico’s Health Sciences Centre recruited 60 patients, and randomly exposed them to eight designs of winged needles - such as one decorated as a butterfly - and six designs of syringes fitted with a needle.

When exposed to conventional syringes, 80 per cent of the subjects experienced moderate to severe aversion, 63 per cent suffered moderate to severe fear and 62 per cent showed moderate to severe anxiety.

When exposed to the decorated syringes, the aversion in patients was reduced by 68 per cent, fear by 53 per cent and anxiety by 53 per cent, the survey results released on Friday found.

Needles, syringes and IV bags decorated with musical notes, flowers and smiley faces were highly favoured by patients, the researchers said.

Such decorations likely interfere with an established link between visual recognition of a perceived threat and the subsequent emotional response to that threat, the researchers believe.

Wilmer Sibbitt, a professor in UNM’s School of Medicine, said the decorated medical devices likely form a neurophysiological intervention, resulting in stimulation of brain areas usually not associated with fear, anxiety and aversion.

“It would be great to see these types of decorated needles, syringes, and IV bags mass produced,” he said.