The Effect of Medical Clowns on Blood Pressure Measurement in Children Presenting to the Emergency Department

Background:Blood pressure (BP) is routinely measured white triaging children presenting to the pediatric emergency department (PED). Objectives:To determine whether a medical clown shortens the time to acquire a BP measurement among children under-going triage in the PED. Methods: The study comprised 133 children. Patients were as-signed to one of two groups: with a medical down or without a medical clown. Results:The presence of a medical down led to a significantly shorter time to acquire a blood pressure measurement (60 +/- 23 seconds vs. 81 +/- 43.5 seconds, P < 0.001. Clowns had a significant effect on shortening total triage length among children of Jewish ethnicity compared to Arab ethnicity (113 +/- 353.6 seconds vs. 154 +/- 418 seconds, P= 0.012). Conclusions:Using medical clowns white measuring BP during triage when used in a culturally appropriate manner shortens time.

Automated summary

This study found that using a medical clown to measure blood pressure in pediatric emergency departments can shorten the time, especially among children of Jewish ethnicity.