Many medical interventions, including the dressing of central venous catheters, a common procedure used for children with cancer, cause anxiety and pain in children. This can adversely affect their care and recovery. This study aims to determine the effect of using a kaleidoscope during central venous catheter dressing on anxiety and pain in children with cancer.

This was a randomised controlled trial with 60 children aged 6-12 diagnosed with cancer who were placed either in a kaleidoscope group (n=30) or a control group (n=30). Each child's anxiety was evaluated by the child using the Child Fear Scale before, during and after a central venous catheter dressing procedure, and each child's pain during and after the procedure was evaluated by the child using the Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale (WB-FACES). Each child's heart rate and oxygen saturation were measured with a pulse oximeter device before, during and after central venous catheter dressing.

The children in kaleidoscope group looked into the kaleidoscope and slowly turned it. This distraction procedure began immediately before the central venous catheter dressing and continued until it was finished.

No intervention was performed to reduce pain and anxiety for children in the control group.

Parents accompanied their children during the procedure in both groups.

Inclusion Criteria:

• a cancer diagnosis,
• having a central venous catheter,
• 6-12 years old,
• not having taken any analgesics in the 6 hours before the central venous catheter dressing, -being in a non-terminal phase of the disease,
• absence of neutropenia,
• volunteering to participate in the study,
• the absence of any health problems that prevent communication in the parent or the child.

Exclusion Criteria:

-the reporting of pain for another reason at the time of the central venous catheter dressing.