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Taking the "ouch" out of injections for children. Using distraction to decrease pain
1Jewish Hospital College of Nursing and Allied Health, St. Louis, Missouri, USA. las0880@bjcmail.carenet.org
Insights
Distraction techniques like touch and bubble-blowing effectively reduce injection pain in preschool children. These simple nursing interventions help manage pain during immunizations.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nursing
- Pain Management
- Child Psychology
Background:
- Pediatric immunizations are a common source of acute pain and distress for young children.
- Effective pain management strategies are crucial for positive healthcare experiences and adherence to vaccination schedules.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the effectiveness of two distraction methods (touch and bubble-blowing) against standard care in reducing injection pain among preschool children.
- To examine the influence of age, gender, and medical fear on pain perception during injections.
Main Methods:
- A quasi-experimental study involving 105 children aged 4-6 years undergoing Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis (DTP) immunizations.
- Children were randomly assigned to receive touch distraction, bubble-blowing distraction, or standard care during their injection.
- Pain was measured using the Oucher Scale, and medical fear was assessed with the Child Medical Fear Scale.
Main Results:
- Both touch and bubble-blowing distraction significantly reduced perceived injection pain compared to standard care.
- No significant interaction effects were found for age or gender on the effectiveness of the distraction methods.
- Medical fear was a significant covariate, but distraction remained effective even when fear levels varied.
Conclusions:
- Distraction techniques, specifically touch and bubble-blowing, are practical and effective nursing interventions for managing injection pain in young children.
- These methods offer a simple, non-pharmacological approach to improve coping during common, painful pediatric procedures like immunizations.
Purpose:
This research compared the effect of two forms of distraction on injection pain in a convenience sample of preschool children.
Design:
A quasi-experimental study of 105 children (53 girls and 52 boys) ages 4 to 6 years needing DPT immunizations. Data were collected at three sites: two school-based immunization clinics and one public health center with a walk-in immunization program.
Methods:
Study children were randomly assigned to receive one of three treatments with their DTP injection: touch, bubble-blowing, or standard care. Prior to injection, a measure of medical fear was obtained (Child Medical Fear Scale) and pain was measured through use of the Oucher Scale.
Data Analysis:
Planned comparisons within analysis of variance (ANOVA) tested the differences in pain scores by treatment. Factorial ANOVA was used to determine the influence of age or gender on treatment, and the effect of medical fear on pain was analyzed using correlational statistics and factorial ANOVA.
Results:
Both forms of distraction, touch and bubble-blowing, significantly reduced pain perception. There were no interaction effects of either age or gender. Fear was a significant covariate, but distraction was effective even when fear was not held constant.
Clinical Implications:
Distraction appears to be an effective method for decreasing injection pain in young children. It is an easy, practical nursing intervention to help children cope with this common, painful experience.