Effectiveness of clown intervention for pain relief in children: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Clown intervention may be a promising way to relieve acute pain in children, especially those aged 2-7 years. It also seems to shorten the duration of crying and the length of hospital stays, but the effect on cortisol levels is still uncertain. More high-quality randomised controlled trials are needed to confirm these results and take into account different age groups, cultural backgrounds and specific populations.