anxiety

Let Child "Listen While You Work"

Everyone knows the trick of pressing with the diaphragm of a stethoscope to locate the tenderness in a child with abdominal pain, without him or her being aware of your "palpation." To further alleviate the child's anxiety and distract him, invite him to listen through the stethoscope while you move it around his abdomen.
— Ben Huneycutt, MD