Effect of facilitated rocking movement in reducing vaccination-induced pain in young infants: a randomized control trial

Abstract

BackgroundInjection for vaccinations is the most prevalent source of iatrogenic pain in infants. The facilitated rocking movement is a new technique which is to be evaluated to reduce vaccination-induced pain in newborns and young infants. Hence, the present study was designed to study the effect of facilitated rocking movement in reducing vaccination-induced pain in young infants.MethodA total of 70 infants < 6 months attending vaccination clinic, full-term born babies with weight > 2.5 kg and clinically well infants were enrolled and randomized in two equal groups, i.e., facilitated rocking movement (treatment/group 1) and classical holding group (control/group 2).ResultsBoth the groups were comparable and found no significant (p > 0.05) difference as regards education, occupation, socioeconomic status, type and number of deliveries, gestational age of mother as well as birth weight, gender and hemodynamic parameters of infants. The crying time was significantly (p = 0.0001) lower among children of group 1 (35.79 ± 5.12 s) than group 2 (59.71 ± 7.93 s). There was a significant difference (p = 0.0001) in NIPS score among the groups after baseline. At baseline, mild severity of pain was observed in the majority of children in both groups (92.9% in each), while at 1 min after prick mild severity of pain was more in group 1 (92.9%) than in group 2 (28.6%), (p = 0.0001).ConclusionThe assisted rocking movement proved more helpful than the traditional holding position in alleviating pain caused by vaccinations in infants aged less than 6 months. As a result of its easy, cheap and noninvasive application, this position can be utilized in combination with pharmacological techniques during painful procedures. Further ascertainment by comparing other techniques such as the analgesic effects of sucrose, expressed breast milk and breast-feeding should be carried out.