The effect of ShotBlocker on vaccination pain in infants

Childhood vaccination as the most common iatrogenic pain is the main source of pain, anxiety and stress in children and parents, which is often done without pain management. Therefore, given the importance of pain control in children, and the recognition and application of pain control methods by the health team members, this study was conducted to evaluate the effect of ShotBlocker on vaccination pain in 6-month-old infants.

In this clinical trial study, 80 infants referred to Mehrshahr health center in Birjand in 2018-2019, were selected using the convenience sampling method based on the study criteria, and then randomly assigned to the control or experimental groups. In the experimental group, 20 seconds before the injection until the end of the injection, pressure was applied to the injection site with a ShotBlocker. The control group only received routine care. The pain status in the two groups was measured using the Pain Behavioral Response Scale (FLACC) 15 seconds after injection, and also the duration of crying from the time of vaccine injection to the end of crying was compared between the two groups. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics including Mann-Whitney, t-test, and analysis of covariance at the significance level of less than 0.05.

The study results revealed the mean pain intensity (4.32±0.99), duration of crying (14.4±3.92), and the time of onset of crying (4.05±0.933) were lower in the experimental group than those of in the control group (P<0.001).

Considering that ShotBlocker is effective in reducing pain intensity, the duration of crying and delay in onset of crying, it is recommended to use this simple, safe, and low-cost device to manage pain during vaccine injection.