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Efficacy of ShotBlocker in reducing pediatric pain associated with intramuscular injections

Lisa A Drago1, Sabina B Singh, April Douglass-Bright

  • 1Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-Robert Wood Medical School at Camden, NJ 08103, USA. drago-l@cooperhealth.edu

The American Journal of Emergency Medicine
|June 6, 2009
PubMed

Insights

ShotBlocker effectively reduced pain perception during intramuscular injections in children, as reported by nurses and caregivers. However, children

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Pain Management
  • Medical Device Efficacy
  • Clinical Trial Research

Background:

  • Intramuscular (IM) injections are a common source of acute pain in pediatric patients.
  • Effective pain reduction strategies are crucial for improving patient experience and adherence to treatment.
  • The ShotBlocker device is designed to mitigate pain associated with needle-based procedures.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy of the ShotBlocker device in reducing pain experienced by children during IM injections.
  • To compare pain scores between children using ShotBlocker and a control group receiving no intervention.

Main Methods:

  • A prospective randomized controlled trial was conducted with 165 children aged 2 months to 17 years.
  • Participants were randomized to either the ShotBlocker group or a no-intervention control group.
  • Pain was assessed using Likert-type scales by nurses and caregivers, and the Baker Wong Faces scale for older children.

Main Results:

  • Nurses reported significantly lower pain scores in the ShotBlocker group (1.8) compared to the no-intervention group (2.6; P < .001).
  • Caregivers also reported lower pain scores with ShotBlocker use (2.1 vs 2.6; P = .04).
  • No significant difference in pain was reported by children aged 36 months and older, though a trend emerged in older children (≥72 months).

Conclusions:

  • Nurses and caregivers perceived ShotBlocker as effective in reducing pediatric pain during IM injections.
  • The device demonstrated ease of use with low reported difficulty by nurses.
  • Self-reported pain by children did not show significant differences, suggesting potential variations in pain perception reporting across different assessment methods.
Abstract

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