The Effect of Helfer Skin Tap Technique and ShotBlocker Application on Pain in Deltoid Muscle Injection

Objective: This study was performed experimentally and single-blind randomized controlled trial to compare the effects of Helfer Skin Tap technique and Shot Blocker application on pain in the intramuscular injection application to the deltoid muscle. Methods: The study was designed as a prospective, single-blind randomized controlled trial. The research was conducted in accordance with the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) Checklist guide. The study was conducted in a family health center in Sivas Province between 05.10.2020-30.12.2020. Individuals who received Hepatitis B vaccine injection were included in the sample of the study. All intramuscular injections were made by the same nurse, and the approaches to reducing pain were made by the researcher. A total of 120 patients including the Helfer Skin Tap Technique (n=40), the standard application (n=40) and the ShotBlocker technique (n=40) were included. Mann Whitney U and Kruskal Wallis tests were used to evaluate the data. Results: In our study, 75% (n=30) of the Helfer Skin Tap group, 82.50% (n=33) of the standard administration group and 75% (n=30) of the ShotBlocker group reported that they had no fear of injection. When the distribution of post-injection pain scores of the individuals according to different injection methods was examined, the difference between the average pain scores of the different methods used to provide pain control was found to be significant and statistically significant (p=0.001). Conclusion: In line with the findings of our study, it was concluded that the use of ShotBlocker in intramuscular injection application of individuals was more effective in reducing pain due to injection compared to Helfer Skin Tap and standard application, and the Helfer Skin Tap technique was more successful in pain control than standard practice. All health professionals', especially nurses', awareness of the effectiveness of different methods in reducing pain during IM injection should be raised. To ensure pain control during IM injection, Shotblocker and Helfer Skin Tap Technique should be preferred since they are easy to apply and cost effective,