What is Known: • Topical and local anaesthesia, physical and verbal comfort, and distraction are useful interventions for pain and anxiety management during intravenous cannulation in paediatric settings. • No data is available on pain and distress experienced by adolescents in the specific setting of the emergency department.

What is New: • Adolescents experienced high levels of pre-procedural distress in most cases and similar levels of pain and distress when compared to younger patients • The number of pain relief techniques employed during procedures was inversely proportional to patient’s age, topical or local anaesthesia were rarely used