The comparative effects of ball squeezing and cartoon watching in pain management in children during intramuscular injection: A randomized control trial

Abstract

This study was designed as a randomized controlled trial to investigate the comparative effect of ball squeezing and watching cartoons on pain management in children during intramuscular injection. The population of the study was comprised of 6-12 years old children who came to emergency for intramuscular injection. Power analysis was performed by G*Power program. Approximately 147 protocols completed with 6-12 years old children (each group 49 children). In the study, a questionnaire including child and socio-demographic characteristics their experiences of hospitalization data and Facial Pain Scale- Revised (FPS-R), Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and ball (for squeezing) were used. According to the results of the study, the FPS-R score during the procedure was the lowest in the stress ball group and was statistically significant (p˂0.05). The lowest VAS scores during the procedure the lowest score was in the stress ball group and the differences between the relevant groups were statistically significant (p˂0.05). It was determined that squeezing the ball and watching cartoons were effective in reducing pain during injection, however, the ball squeezing group had the lowest pain level. Among non-pharmacological methods, ball squeezing can be preferred as a practical and effective method, especially by pediatric nurses, in reducing pain during intramuscular injection in children.