Helping your child with medical procedures
We know that some medical procedures – such as blood tests, vaccinations and the insertion of intravenous (or ‘IV’) cannulas – can be a source of fear and anxiety for some children. That’s why we’ve created the CALM promise, a person-centred approach to help guide the way we work with children and young people to minimise distress and discomfort during medical procedures.
Why it is important
Empowering children to feel confident and calm about having a procedure not only benefits their health and wellbeing today but also into their future. A good experience at an appointment can build resilience and confidence and reduce the chance of developing a fear of medical procedures and clinical environments.
CALM Promise
CALM stands for Comfort, Analgesia, Language, Mindfulness and Memory – the five elements we promise to use with every child to provide the best possible procedural care experience.
How CALM Care can help your child
We all do better when we know what to expect. Having a CALM plan for a procedure can help reassure your child and empower them with some choice over the situation (which they may not be looking forward to).
Use the following resources to help prepare your child and yourself for medical procedures. These tips can be used wherever you access healthcare.
- CALM Animation
- CALM care: A guide for parents and carers [PDF 246.16 KB]
- My CALM Plan [PDF 792.84 KB]
- Comfort Positions: Meg Foundation Comfort Positions