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Analysis of two non-pharmacological pain management methods for vaccine injection pain in infants: A randomized
Tuğba Güngör1, Özlem Öztürk Şahin2
1Department of Emergency, Yenice County State Hospital, Karabük, Turkey.
Insights
Local cold and heat application effectively reduced infant pain from vaccines. Cold application proved more effective than heat in minimizing pain associated with infant vaccinations.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Pain Management
- Immunization Practices
Background:
- Vaccine administration in infants aged 2-6 months can cause significant pain and distress.
- Effective pain management strategies are crucial to improve infant tolerance and compliance with vaccination schedules.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of local cold and heat application in reducing vaccine-associated pain in infants.
- To compare the effectiveness of cold versus heat application for pain relief during infant vaccinations.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 96 infants aged 2-6 months undergoing pneumococcal vaccination.
- Infants were assigned to three groups: local cold application, local heat application, or a control group.
- Pain was assessed using the Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability (FLACC) pain scale.
Main Results:
- The mean FLACC pain score was significantly lower in the cold application group (5.531±1.934) compared to the heat application group (8.710±1.346) and the control group (9.152±1.661).
- Statistical analysis revealed a significant difference in pain scores among the three groups (KW=49.043; p=0.000).
Conclusions:
- Both local cold and heat application before pneumococcal vaccination significantly reduced pain in infants.
- Cold application demonstrated superior effectiveness in alleviating vaccine-associated pain compared to heat application.
Objectives:
This study was performed to investigate the efficiency of local heat and cold application to decrease vaccine-associated pain among infants 2-6 months of age.
Methods:
This was a randomized controlled trial. The study universe comprised infants aged 2-6 months who were brought to 4 family health centers in the Safranbolu district of Karabuk Province, Turkey, for a pneumococcal vaccination June 1-November 30, 2016. A total of 96 infants (heat application: 31, cold application: 32, and control group: 33) were enrolled in the the study. The data were collected using an infant ınformation form and the Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability (FLACC) pain scale.
Results:
The mean FLACC score of the infants was 5.531±1.934 in the cold application group, 8.710±1.346 in the heat application group, and 9.152±1.661 in the control group. The difference between the mean scores of the groups was statistically significant (KW=49.043; p=0.000).
Conclusion:
Local cold and heat application methods applied to the vaccination area before a pneumoccal vaccine reduced vaccine-associated pain in the infants, and the application of cold was more effective than heat.
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