Jesters of Well-Being: Examining the Relationship between Clown Doctors and Patients.

Clown doctors play a crucial role in enhancing the well-being of patients through the use of humor. However, little is known about how the use of humor by clown doctors changes in relation to the developmental age of patients. This research explores the interplay between the type of humor used by clown doctors, their experience (in terms of years of clowning and type of clowning), and the developmental age of the patients (children, adolescents, adults, elderly). Data for this cross-sectional study were collected through an online survey distributed to 210 Italian clown doctors (143 females, 67 males), aged between 18 and 75 years (M = 47.34, SD = 12.31), affiliated with different Clown Care Units. The survey included the Comic Styles Markers, questions on the patients' developmental age, type of clowning (Auguste vs. Whiteface), and years of experience. The findings enhance our understanding on how clown doctors interact with patients of different developmental ages. The discussion draws connections to previous studies conducted on groups of clown doctors, providing a broader context for understanding the implications of humorous interactions in this unique healthcare domain.

Clown care in the clinical nursing of children: a meta-analysis and systematic review.

Background: Children treated in hospitals often experience high levels of anxiety and pain. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to analyze the effect of clown care in clinical nursing on children and to provide ideas for improving the clinical nursing care provided to children. Methods: Two authors searched PubMed, Embase, Clinical trials, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CINAHL, Scopus, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Weipu, and Wanfang databases to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) related to clown care for children until 15 September 2023. The quality assessment of the included RCTs and the data extraction were performed by two researchers, and meta-analysis was carried out using RevMan5.4. Results: A total of 15 RCTs involving 2,252 children were finally included in this meta-analysis. The findings from this meta-analysis revealed that clown care was beneficial in reducing the pain [SMD = -0.96, 95% CI (-1.76, 0.16)], anxiety [SMD = -0.81, 95% CI (-1.16, -0.46)], and crying time [SMD = -1.09, 95% CI (-1.74, -0.44)] of children and the anxiety level of caregivers [SMD = -0.99, 95% CI (-1.95, -0.03)] (all P's < 0.05). No significant publication biases were detected in the synthesized outcomes (all P's > 0.05). Conclusions: Clown care is helpful in reducing the pain, anxiety, and crying time of children and the anxiety level of caregivers. However, additional high-quality studies with larger sample sizes are warranted to further analyze the role of clown care in clinical practice.

Assessment of Medical Clowning in Influencing the Anxiety and Behavior Scores of Children Undergoing Various Dental Treatments and the Stress Levels of the Operator.

Aim: To investigate the potential effectiveness of "medical clowns" on preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative anxiety of children undergoing various dental treatments and also its effect on the operator's stress levels in a dental setup. Materials and methods: A total of 170 pediatric patients, aged 4-8 years, indicated for preventive therapy, extractions, restorative, and endodontics were included and divided into two groups [group I-audiovisual (A-V) aids; group II-medical clowns], group of 85 patients each after recording Modified yale preoperative scale. Both pre- and postoperatively, Frankl's behavior score was recorded for each patient. During treatment, the face, legs, activity, cry, consolability (FLACC) pain scale, and dental operator's stress level were recorded. Results: Intervention of medical clowns positively influenced children during dental treatment by increasing their pain threshold. The majority of children showed positive Frankl rating scales after dental treatment. Also, the operator's stress was significantly reduced, which led to enhanced treatment outcomes. Conclusion: Humor yields the power of healing, distracts pediatric patients, reduces their anxiety, and alleviates their pain, conferring the patients with a sense of laughter, creativity, and care.Therefore, medical clowns in pediatric dentistry can prove to be serviceable and valuable as a nonpharmacological approach to behavior management. How to cite this article: Aggarwal P, Mathur S, Chopra R. Assessment of Medical Clowning in Influencing the Anxiety and Behavior Scores of Children Undergoing Various Dental Treatments and the Stress Levels of the Operator. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2024;17(1):59-66.

The Impact and Influence of Hospital Clowns on Hospitalized Children Undergoing Painful Procedures: A Mixed Methods Study.

Hospital clowns are widely used in pediatric settings. However, the field of pain and pain experience in children is complex and multifaceted. Therefore, the aim of this study was to expand knowledge on the impact and influence of hospital clowns on 4 to 15-year-old children's experiences of managing painful procedures and conditions. A convergent mixed method study was conducted integrating findings from three individual studies: a prospective non-blinded study and two focused ethnographic studies. The findings illuminated a child-clown interaction characterized by a close relationship evolving during a continuous, mutually focused attention, conceptualized as WE. This WE represent a responsive interaction between child and clown, which supported the child during the procedures, and generated three integrated findings: an age-differentiated approach; understanding the child's condition; and previous experiences as a part of the child's history. The WE approach strengthened the child's competences and ability to manage during painful procedures.

The Impacts of a Clown Doctor Program on an Adolescent Psychiatric Unit: A Mixed Methods Investigation.

Inpatient psychiatric care may be required to manage adolescents with severe mental health problems. As the ward can be a challenging environment, this study explored the influence of clown doctors on adolescents. Seventy-seven adolescents (13-18 years) and 22 staff from the Monash Health Stepping Stones Adolescent Unit, and 11 clown doctors from The Humour Foundation participated in the study. Bespoke surveys were developed by the research team to collect quantitative self-report data and qualitative responses. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis suggested that adolescents experienced high levels of fun as well as positive mood during a clown doctor session. Clown doctor programs show promise within an inpatient unit with opportunities for further development being identified. With considerations of the findings, future clown doctor training could include tailoring sessions to the developmental needs of adolescents and developing strategies on how to interact with adolescents who have a mental health disorder.

A clown nose-like nodule revealing a metastatic lung carcinoma.

Clown nose-like lesion can be the manifestation of inflammatory, infectious or neoplasm-related diseases, and some genetic syndromes. Lung carcinoma metastasize rarely to the skin. To our knowledge, 16 cases of lung cancer metastasis with clown nose-like lesions have been reported. Here, we describe a new case. Abstract: Cutaneous metastases of small-cell-lung carcinoma are rare, and nose involvement is much rarer. However, it can be the first warning sign of lung cancer. We describe the case of a patient who presented with a red nodule of the nasal tip reminding a clown-nose.

Medical clowning in hospitalized children: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Medical clowning has been proven effective in reducing pain, anxiety, and stress in many sporadic, usually small-scale studies. Our meta-analysis aims to evaluate the efficiency of medical clowns in reducing pain and anxiety in hospitalized pediatric patients and their parents in different medical fields. METHODS: A thorough literature search was conducted from different databases, and only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included with children aged 0 to 18 years old. A total of 18 studies were included, and statistical analysis was performed on the combined data. RESULTS: A total of 912 children (14 studies) showed significantly reduced anxiety when procedures were performed with a medical clown compared with the controls (- 0.76 on anxiety score, P < 0.001). Preoperative anxiety was lower in 512 children (nine studies) with clown interventions than in the controls (- 0.78, P < 0.001). The pain scale was completed by 338 participants (six studies), indicating a trend toward reduced pain during procedures performed while the clown was acting compared to controls (- 0.49, P = 0.06). In addition, medical clown significantly (- 0.52, P = 0.001) reduced parental anxiety in 489 participants in ten studies; in six of the ten studies, with a total of 380 participants, medical clown significantly reduced parental preoperative anxiety (P = 0.02). CONCLUSION: Medical clowns have substantial positive and beneficial effects on reducing stress and anxiety in children and their families in various circumstances in pediatrics.

Do Clowns Really Taste Funny? An Investigation of the Relationship between Humor and Playfulness in Clown Doctors.

Healthcare clowning represents a well-established method for relieving patients and their relatives of discomfort during hospitalization. Although studies concerning the effectiveness of this approach are increasing in number, state-of-the-art studies conducted to evaluate the psychological characteristics of clown doctors are scarce. In this cross-sectional study, a convenient sample of 210 clown doctors (143 females, 67 males) aged between 18 and 75 years (M = 47.34, SD = 12.31) completed a demographic questionnaire, the Comic Styles Markers, and the Short Measure for Adult Playfulness. The results demonstrated that clown doctors bring higher levels of fun, benevolent humor, and nonsense and a lower level of cynicism compared to the populace. Moreover, the participants with more experience tend to use less irony, sarcasm, and cynicism than those with less experience. Playfulness was primarily related to the lighter styles of humor, and specific differences between the Whiteface and the Auguste clown doctors were observed. The results are discussed with reference to previous studies conducted on groups of clown doctors.

Intervention and application of clown care in nursing homes: a scoping review.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this scoping review was to organize and describe the literature on the application of clown care to the elderly population in nursing homes, including intervention time, intervention methods and intervention effects, so as to provide reference ideas for other scholars to explore clown care programs suitable for the elderly population in nursing homes. METHODS: Employing Arksey and O'Malley's methodology, we searched for PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane, CNKI, WanFang, VIP, and CBM systematically and thoroughly, and the search period was from the establishment of each database to December 12, 2022. Two researchers with evidence-based learning experience independently conducted literature retrieval, information extraction, and cross-checking in strict accordance with the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The review process is reported according to PRISMA. RESULTS: 148 literature were initially obtained after searching, of which 18 were finally included. Among them, 17 were in English and 1 was in Chinese. There are 16 quantitative studies and 2 qualitative studies published from 2010 to 2022. It is found that the current clown care intervention program has not established a unified intervention standard and effective evaluation program. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this scoping review conclude that clown care played a significant role in the nursing home. At first, it can reduce negative emotions, cognitive impairments and physical pain among older adults. In addition, it can improve their quality of life, life satisfaction, etc. It is suggested to learn from the advanced experience of clown care in foreign countries and carry out more clown care among the elderly population in nursing homes in China.

Fear of clowns: An investigation into the aetiology of coulrophobia.

Introduction: Fear of clowns or coulrophobia is a little understood phenomenon despite studies indicating that it has a high prevalence in the general population. There have been no previous investigations into the aetiology of this fear, although several plausible hypotheses from the wider literature can be generated; the fear stems from media portrayals of scary clowns, from the unusual physical appearance or the unpredictable behaviour displayed, or it derives from an unpleasant personal experience. Methods: The current study reviews the literature in this area and also pilots a new questionnaire (Origin of Fear of Clowns Questionnaire; OFCQ) to explore the causes of the fear of clowns in a sample of 528 participants who reported such a fear. Results: Our findings suggest that uncertainty of harmful intent, media influences and unpredictability of behaviour play an important role in the origins of coulrophobia. There are also multiple features of clown appearance which produce a negative experiential state and a sense of a direct threat. Discussion: We conclude that the origins of clown fear are multi-factorial and primarily relate to aspects of their facial appearance, their behaviour, and how they have been portrayed in the media. Surprisingly, fear derived from personal experience was not one of our main findings. Further research is focused on looking at associations between the level of fear and each aetiological category.

Tem palhaço na Educação Física escolar? Tem, sim Senhor! / Is there a clown in school Physical Education? Yes, sir! / ¿Hay payasos en la Educación Física escolar? ¡Sí, señor

Neste estudo relatamos a implementação do ensino do palhaço como conteúdo nas aulas de Educação Física numa turma de 8.º ano de Ensino Fundamental de uma escola pública, na qual participaram 30 alunos de 12-17 anos (13 meninas e 17 meninos). As aulas ocorreram duas vezes por semana, num total de dez, ministradas por dois professores monitores, orientados por um professor orientador local e um professor orientador especialista em palhaçaria. Nas aulas pesquisou-se o imaginário dos alunos sobre circo e palhaço; foram propostos jogos que buscaram o riso, exposições sobre quatro palhaços brasileiros, atividades que buscaram a conexão entre os participantes do estudo, acrobacias cômicas e uma avaliação final com desenhos. Essa experiência aponta que é possível ensinar a palhaçaria nas aulas de Educação Física.

In this study we report the implementation of clowning as a content in Physical Education classes in an 8th grade class in a public school, in which 30 students aged 12-17 years (13 girls and 17 boys) participated. The classes took place twice a week, in a total of ten, taught by two monitors, guided by a local mentor teacher and a mentor teacher specialized in clowning. In the classes we researched the students' imaginary about circus and clown; we proposed games that sought laughter, exhibitions about four Brazilian clowns, activities that sought connection among the participants of the study, comical acrobatics and a final evaluation with drawings. This experience points out that it is possible to teach clowning in Physical Education classes.

En este estudio relatamos la implementación de la enseñanza del payaso como contenido en clases de Educación Física en una clase de 8º de Primaria de un colegio público, en la que participaron 30 alumnos con edades comprendidas entre los 12 y los 17 años (13 chicas y 17 chicos). As clases ocorreram duas vezes por semana, em um total de dez, ministradas por dois monitores, orientados por um professor mentor local e um professor mentor especializado em payaso. En las clases, se investigó el imaginario de los alumnos sobre el circo y el payaso; se propusieron juegos que buscaban la risa, exposiciones sobre cuatro payasos brasileños, actividades que buscaban la conexión entre los participantes del estudio, acrobacias cómicas y una evaluación final con dibujos. Esta experiencia señala que es posible enseñar clown en las clases de Educación Física.

Integration of Healthcare Clowns into Pediatric Palliative Care: A Bridge Between Life and Death.

Introduction: The objective of this paper was to describe the vision of death from the perspective of families of children who experienced palliative care, and team members working in one unit, and to explore the roles of healthcare clowns in working with life and death. The major research of which this paper is part was a requirement of one healthcare clown organization, that since 2008 works as members of the palliative care unit in a public hospital in Chile. Description: Using a qualitative methodology, and an emergent and descriptive design, 26 people, including mothers and team members of one palliative care unit, participated in in-depth interviews and discussion groups separately. Data analysis was performed using grounded theory and critical discourse analysis techniques. Results: The roles played by healthcare clowns in palliative care were accompanying, mediating between team members and families, facilitating to process death, provision of humane care using socioemotional competences, promotion of social relationships, and being complementary therapy. Conclusion: The six roles of healthcare clowns identified by this research have implications for public policies and actions in palliative care. There is also a need to expand this type of work to other public health services in Chile.

["The association proposes animations and moments of distraction to the hospitalized children"]. / « Les clowns proposent aux petits de s'évader de l'univers hospitalier ¼.

Today, Le Rire médecin has thirty years of experience. It has 120 trained professional clowns who make more than 85,000 individualized visits to 58 pediatric wards in France. Caroline Simonds, the association's founding clown, and Dominique Valteau-Couanet, a pediatrician and former head of department at the Gustave-Roussy Institute in Villejuif (94), met for a two-voice, two-hearted discussion.

Entre a Dor e a Alegria: Repercussões Subjetivas no Ser Palhaço(a) / Between Pain and Happiness: Subjective Repercussions in the Being Clown / Entre el Dolor y la Alegría: Repercusiones Subjetivas de Ser Payaso(a)

Investigou-se como a dor e a alegria podem influenciar a construção do ser palhaço(a) com o objetivo de compreender melhor a construção da sua subjetividade. Foram realizadas entrevistas com dez palhaços(as). Utilizou-se como método a análise de conteúdo e o software NVivo® para sistematizar as informações presentes nos discursos dos(as) participantes em doze categorias, agrupadas em dois eixos temáticos e analisadas a partir de sua pertinência na construção do entendimento de ser palhaço(a). Os resultados indicaram que a dor diante de perdas afetivas no processo de ser palhaço(a) passa pela transformação do trágico à comicidade, não para minimizá-la, mas para lidar com a finitude humana por meio da ética, poética e estética de afirmação da vida. A transgressão da palhaçaria permite superar dificuldades e transformá-las criativamente em riso. Conclui-se que o ser palhaço(a) torna-se a vitrine das condições humanas apresentadas por meio do cômico, do trágico, do ridículo, do perder, do político, do rústico e do ser-no-mundo.

It was investigated how pain and joy can influence the construction of being a clown in order to better understand the construction of their subjectivity. Interviews were conducted with ten clowns. Content analysis and the NVivo® software were used as a method to systematize the information present in the participants' speeches into twelve categories, grouped into two thematic axes and analyzed based on its pertinence in the construction of the understanding of being a clown. The results indicated that the pain in the face of affective losses in the process of being a clown goes through the transformation from the tragic to the comic, not to minimize it, but to deal with human finitude through ethics, poetics and life-affirming aesthetics. The transgression of clowning allows you to overcome difficulties and creatively transform them into laughter. It is concluded that being a clown becomes the showcase of human conditions presented through the comic, the tragic, the ridiculous, the losing, the political, the rustic and the being-in-the-world.

Se investigó cómo el dolor y la alegría pueden influir en la construcción del payaso, con el objetivo de comprender mejor la construcción de su subjetividad. Se realizaron entrevistas con diez payasos. El análisis de contenido y el software NVivo® se utilizaron como método para sistematizar la información presente en los discursos de los participantes, en doce categorías, agrupadas en dos ejes temáticos, y analizadas desde la pertinencia en la construcción de la comprensión del payaso. Los resultados indicaron que el dolor ante pérdidas afectivas en el proceso de ser payaso sufre una transformación de lo trágico a lo cómico, no para minimizar el dolor, sino para lidiar con la finitud humana a través de la ética, la poética y la estética afirmadora de la vida. La transgresión del clown te permite superar las dificultades y transformarlas creativamente en risa. Se concluye que ser payaso se convierte en el escaparate de las condiciones humanas que se presentan a través de lo cómico, lo trágico, lo ridículo, lo perdedor, lo político, lo rústico y el ser-en-el-mundo.

Clowning as a therapeutic intervention with the elderly: a literature review / Le clown comme intervention thérapeutique auprès de personnes âgées : revue de la littérature

Clown interventions with elderly have been a field of study for twenty years. They concern interventions in hospitals or nursing homes, and particularly on people with cognitive disorders and/or behavioral disorders. The literature also studies the clown interventions in palliative care services. Some studies concern the clowns themselves. Most of writings about clowns intervening in a therapeutic context analyze these interventions through the effect of humor. Other studies, particularly those which are interested in the interventions on people presenting cognitive disorders, focus on the relational qualities of the clown. This synthesis of the literature proposes to make a state of the art on the interventions of clowns with an elderly public, taking into consideration all the characteristics and possible effects of this practice. Thus, we will begin with a description of the interventions of clowns and the specificity of those intervening for the elderly. We will then divide our discussion according to the different targets of the interventions: people with cognitive disorders and palliative care. Next, we will focus on the studies on clowns themselves. If most of studies show positive effects of the clown, almost all mention methodological difficulties. Moreover, the studies take into consideration one of the characteristics of the clown and never the clown as a whole. Furthermore, it will be interesting to observe this practice in non-institutional context.

Les interventions de clowns auprès d'un public âgé sont devenues un champ d'études depuis une vingtaine d'années. Cette revue de la littérature propose un état des connaissances sur les modalités et les effets de ce type d'intervention. Chez des personnes présentant des troubles cognitifs et/ou des troubles du comportement, les interventions clownées auraient un effet sur l'agitation et l'agressivité, comme sur la qualité de vie et le repli sur soi. Dans les services de soins palliatifs, l'aspect poétique et décalé du clown faciliterait l'expression de soi et l'humour permettrait de reconnaître la personne en fin de vie dans son humanité. Les écrits sur les clowns intervenant dans un cadre thérapeutique analysent soit l'effet de l'humour, soit les qualités relationnelles du clown. Cette synthèse de la littérature prend en considération toutes les caractéristiques et effets possibles de cette pratique et propose des pistes de recherches complémentaires.

The beneficial effect of medical clowns on performance of EEG in young children: a randomized controlled study.

Electroencephalography (EEG) is an important test in the diagnosis of epilepsy. To perform the test, many electrodes are placed on the child's scalp, a stressful situation that may contribute to uncooperative behavior. The aim of our study was to investigate the effects provided by a close collaboration with medical clowns on the performance of EEG in young children. A prospective randomized control study was conducted between July 2020 and September 2021. The study included children aged 1-5 years who were scheduled to undergo EEG testing at the Bnai Zion Medical Center. The children were randomly allocated to each group (study group with medical clowns and control group without medical clowns) according to the day of the test. The medical clowns, the EEG technician, and the children's caregivers all independently rated the entire process in designated questionnaires composed of items rated on a 5-point Likert scale. In addition, the technical quality of all EEG tests was evaluated and rated by one neurologist (G.J.) in a blinded manner. One hundred children participated in the study. Fifty children underwent the EEG accompanied by one of two medical clowns (study group), and fifty children underwent routine EEG, without medical clowns (control group). The physician-rated technical score of the EEG recording was significantly higher in the study group (p < 0.001). Among parents of the study group, 96% were highly satisfied from the presence of the medical clowns during the EEG (median 5). Both the EEG technician and the parents denoted a significantly higher cooperation rate in the study group children, of 72% and 82%, respectively, compared to the control group. The rating of child/parent's cooperation was not correlated with age, sex, or ethnicity of the child. There was no need for sedation in the study group. CONCLUSION: Performing EEG in young children in collaboration with medical clowns can increase the quality of the EEG recording possibly due to higher cooperation rates, which in turn lead to mutual satisfaction of both parents and technicians with the procedure. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT05257096. WHAT IS KNOWN: • Performing EEG in young children may be a stressful experience. • Use of sedation during EEG may cause side effects. To avoid need for sedation various methods are used to overcome the stressful experience: Natural daytime nap, partial sleep deprivation, oral melatonine and reassurance of parents. WHAT IS NEW: • Performing EEG in young children in collaboration with medical clowns can increase the quality of the EEG recording. • Medical clown intervention led to mutual satisfaction of both parents and technicians with the EEG test procedure.

Motivations and Personal Traits Can Predict Self-Efficacy of the Clown Therapist: A Descriptive Study.

The individual and collective perception of self-efficacy in clown therapists is fundamental in order to be able to be active, restrained, energetic and defocused, if necessary, without being overwhelmed by any problems patients might have. The present study evaluated both the incidence of motivational and dispositional functions on the level of perceived self-efficacy with a sample of 259 Italian clown therapists who were administered The Volunteer Self-Efficacy Scale, the Volunteer Process Model and the Italy Personality Inventory. The significance of a hierarchical linear regression model of perceived self-efficacy was tested. The results showed that the value orientation of the operators mainly influenced the level of perceived self-efficacy, that is, the search for actions with a high social meaning, rather than the orientation towards situations and experiences that allow one to expand one's knowledge and promote one's own person. Profiles with higher perceived self-efficacy were associated with the trait of dynamism and conscientiousness, while a person's vulnerability was found to be a significant negative predictor of self-efficacy. An additional significant predictor was the experience of the clown therapist. The results of the study also showed a positive and functional role of the synergy conferred by teamwork. The group mitigates the emotional difficulties of the individual and supports him/her by orienting him/her technically and compensating for any inexperience in the field of animation in sensitive contexts, such as hospital wards with serious and vulnerable patients, such as children.

Comportamentos construídos e disseminados no palhaço de hospital / Constructed and disseminated behaviors of the hospital clown

Resumo Com o fim de investigar qual o ideário de palhaço que circula no cenário hospitalar, o presente artigo resgata a ancestralidade da figura do palhaço de hospitais, avalia sua formação profissional e tematiza seu papel na contemporaneidade. Através de um estudo descritivo, histórico-documental e qualitativo, a presente pesquisa foi realizada a partir de buscas em bancos de dados acadêmicos como PubMed e LILACS, em abril de 2021. A insuficiência dos resultados motivou a consulta a acervos de livros, assim como um resgate documental de grupos de palhaços. Com a função de carregar leveza, humor e comicidade, foi possível observar que o palhaço de hospital, apesar de não ter a função de curar, complementa o tratamento de pacientes e, portanto, necessita de capacitação nos campos da arte e da biossegurança. Com base na pesquisa bibliográfica, porém, concluiu-se que há uma grande necessidade de formação e educação continuada dos palhaços de hospitais que atuam no contexto brasileiro.

Abstract To investigate the clown ideologies that circulate in a hospital scenario, in this paper, we describe the origins of hospital clowns, evaluate their professional training, and discuss their contemporary role. For this descriptive, historical documentary, and qualitative study, we carried out searches in academic databases such as PubMed and LILACS in April 2021. The insufficiency of these results motivated our consultation of book collections and a documentary analysis of other sources related to clowns. Given their function of conveying lightness, humor, and comedy, we observe that hospital clowns, despite lacking a curative function, complement the treatment of patients and therefore require training in the fields of art and biosafety. Based on our bibliographic research, we also conclude that there is a great need for the training and continual education of hospital clowns who perform in a Brazilian context.

Clown therapy for procedural pain in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Among the distraction techniques used for the non-pharmacological management of acute pediatric pain, one of the most performed is clown therapy. Despite the presence in the literature of some systematic reviews that evaluate its effectiveness, none of them examines its outcomes on procedural pain which has therefore been investigated in this study. The literature search for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was performed on the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Scopus over a time frame ranging from each database setup date to 31 July 2021. The primary outcome was the procedural pain of children. We used the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool to assess the risk of bias of the included studies. Six RCTs were selected for this review, which included a total of 517 pediatric subjects. Children undergoing clown therapy during the venipuncture or peripheral vein cannulation procedure reported less pain than those exposed to the standard of care (SMD = -0.55; 95% CI: -1.23, 0.13) but the result was not found to be statistically significant. School-aged children and adolescent reported significantly less pain (SMD = -0.51; 95% CI: -0.92, -0.09). Compared to the standard of care, children's anxiety was significantly lower with clown therapy (SMD = -0.97; 95% CI: -1.38, -0.56). CONCLUSION: Clown therapy seems effective in reducing procedural pain in children, particularly for older age groups, but due to poor methodological quality and the high risk of bias of the studies included, the results obtained should be considered with caution. WHAT IS KNOWN: • Clown therapy is one of the most used techniques in the non-pharmacological management of acute pediatric pain. • Laughter physiologically stimulates the production of beta-endorphins, substances with an effect similar to opiates. WHAT IS NEW: • Clown therapy seems effective in reducing procedural pain and anxiety in children. • The intervention in school-age children or adolescents produces a statistically significant decrease in the symptom.

Effectiveness of clown intervention for pain relief in children: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Pain is common in children receiving medical procedures, and there is a lack of adequate awareness and management. In addition, children who undergo medical procedures involving pain may also experience stress, crying and prolonged hospitalisation. Clown intervention is a promising nonpharmacological intervention. However, studies on the effectiveness of clown intervention in pain management have reported conflicting findings. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of clown intervention in relieving pain in children, as well as its effects on cortisol levels, crying duration and length of hospital stay. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled studies. DATA SOURCES: PubMed, Web of Science (SCI), Embase, PsycINFO, the Cochrane Library, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Weipu (VIP), Wanfang Data and SinoMed were systematically searched from inception date to December 31, 2020. REVIEW METHODS: Two reviewers independently used the Cochrane risk of bias tool to assess the risk of bias of the included studies. Meta-analysis was conducted when data were available, otherwise, a narrative description was provided. Data were analysed using Review Manager 5.3. The review process is reported according to PRISMA. RESULTS: Nine studies including 852 children met the inclusion criteria. The results showed that compared with standard care, clown intervention was beneficial for relieving pain. Further subgroup analysis showed that it was more effective with children aged 2-7 years. The duration of crying after the procedure and the length of stay were shortened, but there was no significant difference in cortisol levels. CONCLUSION: Clown intervention may be a promising way to relieve acute pain in children, especially those aged 2-7 years. It also seems to shorten the duration of crying and the length of hospital stays, but the effect on cortisol levels is still uncertain. More high-quality randomised controlled trials are needed to confirm these results and take into account different age groups, cultural backgrounds and specific populations.