Play has therapeutic value in helping children cope with their hospital experience. When a child is placed in a hospital, his first response is emotional. If a child is able to play, the activity gives him a chance to express himself and also choose what he wants to do. As a result the child will typically become less overwhelmed. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of distraction on children s perceptions of pain and expressed emotion before and after a medical procedure in a children s hospital. The researcher observed children receiving intravenous starts before surgery and...