A Study to Assess the Effectiveness of Helfer Skin Tap Technique in Pain Reduction among Infants Undergoing Intramuscular Vaccination in Tertiary Care Setting, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Pain is a common and disagreeable sensation for children and adult. Every child has his or her own perception of pain. Routine immunizations are the most frequent painful medical procedure during childhood. Health care professionals trying to provide vaccine to the infants with a less painful experience at their level of comfort, skin tapping (Helfer skin technique) is one of the methods which keeps the muscles relaxed and thus reduce pain while administering IM vaccination. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effectiveness of Helfer skin Tap technique on pain reduction among infants undergoing intramuscular vaccination and to associate the selected demographic variables with the pain level of infants during intramuscular vaccination among treatment and routine group. METHODOLOGY: The research design adopted was quantitative research approach, quasi experimental, time series design. The study was conducted in pediatric vaccination clinic in PSG Hospitals, Peelamedu, Coimbatore. Purposive sampling technique used to select the eligible population. Simple random sampling technique was used to allocate the 60 study subjects to treatment and routine group which comprised 30 in each group. FLACC pain scale was used to assess the vaccination pain among infants undergoing intramuscular vaccination. Pre assessment was done 5minutes prior to the administration of IM vaccination for both groups and Helfer skin tapping was given to infants of treatment group. During Intramuscular vaccination the pain assessment was done in both the groups and post test level of pain was assessed at 1, 5, and at 10 minutes using FLACC pain scale. RESULTS: The study findings high lights that during pre assessment in treatment group 27 (90%) infants were relaxed and comfortable & in routine group 23 (76.77%) infants were relaxed and comfortable. During vaccination in treatment group 19 (63.33%) infants experienced moderate pain where as in routine group 27 (90%) infants experienced severe pain. After the vaccination at 1st minute the treatment group 18 (60%) infants had moderate pain where as the routine group 12 (40%) infants had severe pain. Five minutes after the vaccination in treatment group 15 (50%) infants had mild pain where as in routine group 14 (46.6%) infants had moderate pain. Ten minutes After the vaccination in treatment group 26 (86.6%) infants relaxed and comfortable where as in routine group 24 (80%) infants experienced mild pain. There was a significant reduction in pain perception among infants in treatment group during vaccination (5.30±1.74, p < 0.001), after the vaccination at 1st minute (3.93±1.51, p < 0.001) and 5thminute (2.03±1.69, p < 0.001) and at 10th minute (0.39±0.79, p < 0.001) than the routine group. Female infants 15 (50%) experienced severe pain compared with male infants 12(40%) in routine group (χ2=6.44, P < 0.01).For other demographic variables there was no association in treatment and routine group. CONCLUSION: Helfer skin tap technique was effective in reducing the IM vaccination pain during and after the vaccination.