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Published on: January 27, 2010
Effect of Distracting Methods on Procedure-Related Fear, Anxiety, and Pain During Intramuscular Injection: A
Insights
Distraction methods like virtual reality and Buzzy effectively reduced pain during pediatric intramuscular injections. While these methods impacted pain, they did not significantly alter fear or anxiety levels in children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Emergency Medicine
- Pain Management
- Psychological Interventions
Background:
- Distraction techniques are recommended for vascular access but less studied for intramuscular injections.
- Intramuscular injections in children can cause significant pain, fear, and anxiety.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of distraction methods on pain, fear, and anxiety during pediatric intramuscular injections.
- To compare the effectiveness of virtual reality, manual pressure vibration (Buzzy), and a control group.
Main Methods:
- 126 children (5-12 years) were randomized into virtual reality, Buzzy, manual pressure vibration, or control groups.
- Physiological measures (heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation) and behavioral/self-report scales (pain, fear, anxiety) were used.
- Kruskal-Wallis analysis compared outcomes across groups.
Main Results:
- Distraction groups showed reduced pain scores compared to the control group.
- No significant differences in emotional behavior before the procedure were observed.
- While pain was affected, fear and anxiety levels did not differ significantly among the groups.
Conclusions:
- Virtual reality, manual pressure vibration, and Buzzy are effective in reducing pain associated with intramuscular injections in children.
- Further research is needed to address fear and anxiety related to intramuscular injections.
Introduction:
Distraction methods such as virtual reality and cold vibration devices (Buzzy) are recommended during vascular access. Few studies focused on distraction during intramuscular injection.
Methods:
This study evaluated the effect of distraction methods on procedure-related pain, fear, and anxiety during the intramuscular injection in children aged 5 to 12 years in the pediatric emergency department. In the study, children (n = 126) were assigned to 4 groups: virtual reality, manual pressure vibration, Buzzy, and control groups. Heart rate, respiration, blood pressure, and partial oxygen saturation were measured before, during, and after the procedure. Emotional behavior was evaluated using the Children's Emotional Manifestation Scale before the procedure. After the procedure, pain, fear, and anxiety were evaluated using the Child Fear Scale, Child Anxiety Scale-State, Wong-Baker FACES Pain Scale, and Color Analog Scale. The mean scores obtained from the scales were compared using the Kruskal-Wallis analysis (Clinical Trials number: NCT04847934).
Results:
The diastolic and median blood pressure values were higher, and the partial oxygen value was lower in the control group after the procedure. There was no statistical difference among the groups in terms of emotional behavior before the procedure. There was a statistical difference among the groups in terms of pain scores, but no difference was found in terms of fear and anxiety.
Discussion:
Virtual reality, manual pressure vibration, and Buzzy distractions were effective on intramuscular injection-related pain. Future studies should also focus on intramuscular injection-related fear and anxiety.
