Effects of Rapid Vaccine Injection Without Aspiration and Applying Manual Pressure Before Vaccination on Pain and Crying Time in Infants

WOS: 000399447800009PubMed ID: 28218995AimTo compare effects of rapid injection without aspiration and 10-second manual pressure before injection on pain severity and crying time in 4- to 6-month-old infants given the vaccine DTaP/IPV/Hib. MethodsThis is a randomized double-blind controlled study. The study population included all the infants presenting for DTaP/IPV/Hib to two family health centers between April and August in 2015. The study sample included 128 infants based on confidence interval of 95% and statistical power of 80%. The sample was divided into four groups: manual pressure, rapid injection without aspiration, manual pressure combined with rapid injection without aspiration, and control groups. There were 32 infants in each group. Gender was adjusted in all groups. Stratified and block randomizations were used. ResultsPain severity scores and crying time during and after the injections were significantly lower in the three intervention groups than in the control group (p = .001). The lowest increase in the mean heart rate during and after the injections occurred in the rapid injection without aspiration group (p < .05). In addition, the mean oxygen saturation before, during and after the injections was significantly lower in this group than in the other groups (p < .05). However, two infants in the rapid injection without aspiration group had low oxygen saturation levels starting before the injections. In fact, mean oxygen saturations did not change across time. This suggests that lower oxygen saturation in the rapid injection without aspiration group cannot be due to vaccines or the techniques used. Linking Evidence to ActionManual pressure and rapid injection without aspiration are effective and useful in relief of pain and reduction of crying time due to vaccine injections in 4- to 6-month-old infants.Turkish Scientific and Technological Research OrganizationTurkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK) [214S387]This study was funded by Turkish Scientific and Technological Research Organization in the framework of a project numbered 214S387 and presented as a Doctoral dissertation at Ege University Health Sciences Institute. We would like to thank Professor Meltem Uyar and Associate Professor Can Eygor from The Department of Algology at Ege University Medical School for watching video recordings of vaccine administrations and determining mean pain scores and also thank the infants and their parents for participating in the study