Development and Evaluation of a Hypnotic Communication Training Program for Oncology Pediatric Nurses: the Rel@x Training

Children with cancer are frequently confronted with painful procedures during their course of care. To support them during their treatment, communication techniques derived from hypnosis have shown excellent results in reducing the distress and pain associated with these procedures. We conducted a preliminary study evaluating the effects of hypnotic communication training on nurses' practice during painful procedures with children with cancer. The results showed good acquisition of the techniques by the nurses and the significant effects of these techniques on the children's pain and distress levels. This study also provided recommendations for improving the training to develop a simpler design of the Rel@x training, which will be tested with a larger sample of nurses and patients.