Commitment to Comfort

East Tennessee Children’s Hospital continues to lead the way in safe, high quality pediatric health care. We are committed to care and comfort during your treatment. Our expert health care team work together to offer patients comfort. We supply physical, psychological and pharmacological treatments. 

Our goal is to unite our institution on a shared mission of pain prevention. By continually re-committing to do no harm, we demonstrate our organization’s core values to excellence and respect. 

The following principles continue to shape our practice:

• Undertreated pain is associated with negative consequences.
  Children are at greater risk of experiencing unnecessary pain in a health care setting. 
• Pain is complex and each individual responds to pain differently.
  Prevention requires planning with the child, their caregivers and their healthcare team. 
• Pain prevention and management must incorporate all of a patient’s needs.
  This includes physical, psychological and pharmacological needs.
• Care givers should be actively involved in pain assessment and providing comfort. 
• Staff, students, patients and caregivers receive education on pain management.
• Children’s Hospital utilizes facility-wide policies on pain assessment, management and prevention with every child.
• We use self-monitoring programs, such as nursing pain management audits, to ensure quality pain prevention and management.
• We use feedback from surveys and audits through the Office of Patient Experience and adjust practices accordingly.

Preparing for your visit to East Tennessee Children’s Hospital Clinical Lab

We are committed to help lower your child’s pain level and assist with comfort where possible. We offer on-site services that can help your child have a less stressful visit. 

During any test or visit, we have staff who play to help distract and ease your child’s anxiety. These trained staff can also teach you how to hold and ease your child’s stress. 

In preparation 

You can help lessen your child’s discomfort. Topical Lidocaine Cream can be applied to your child if: 

• Over 2 years old
• There are not open sores

The numbing cream is sold over-the-counter at most pharmacies. Ask the pharmacist for the type you need.  

Directions for use 

Apply a quarter size amount of the cream to the top of each hand and each inner elbow and cover with clear bandages or plastic wrap.   

If you notice any skin redness or irritation, remove cream and wash with soap and water. Seek medical attention IF: 

• Skin changes persist 
• Your child develops other symptoms 

Follow package directions for additional details.

Pain & Palliative Care staff member Teresa Combs gives a pain-relieving massage to a young patient