Venipuncture, although it is relatively simple and fast, is one of the painful procedures which is most frequently performed on paediatric patients. The pain in this context is present in 50% of children, and has been rated as moderate to severe in 36% of children aged 3 to 6 years and 13% of those aged 7 to 17 years. The response to pain is influenced and shaped by past painful experiences. Infants who have not been adequately treated in regard to procedural analgesia undergo a real conditioning. Considering that pain has two basic components, nociception and suffering, the best approach will be multidisciplinary, based on pharmacological and non-pharmacological strategies.
