Continuing Nursing Education
Evaluation of the Magic
Island: Relaxation for
Kids© Compact Disc
Myra Martz Huth
Nancy M. Daraiseh
Melissa A. Henson
Sharon M. McLeod
Managing post-operative pain continues to elude health care professionals despite children’s reports of
severe pain. Although research has demonstrated that guided imagery is a beneficial complementary treatment
for pain, clinicians rarely incorporate it into their practice. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a
guided imagery audio compact disc (CD) in reducing post-operative pain, increasing relaxation, and stimulating
imagery in children by child life specialists in the clinical setting. This cross sectional study compared
pain and relaxation scores before and after the use of the CD. Sixteen children (7 to 12 years of age) reported
pain on a 0 to 10 scale and relaxation on a 1 to 5 scale, and answered questions about what they imagined.
Pain scores were significantly decreased, with no significant differences in relaxation scores. Findings
support that school-age children are capable of using guided imagery, and relaxation may not be necessary
to achieve pain reduction.
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