Department of Pediatrics, St. Luke's Medical Center, Quezon City, Philippines

Fear of getting a shot is a major concern that must be addressed in children to encourage clinic visits and promote immunization. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to determine the effectiveness of ShotBlocker in reducing pain associated with intramuscular injection in preschool children. STUDY DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Dalandanan Elementary School, Dalandanan, Valenzuela City. METHODOLOGY: 119 kindergarten pupils were randomly allocated, 59 children with ShotBlocker® and 60 children without ShotBlocker. DPT injection was administered. Self-reporting of pain was done using the Wong - Baker FACES Pain Scale. RESULTS: The baseline characteristics based on age (p = 0.784), height (p = 0.702) and weight (p = 0.797) of those who were randomized to the ShotBlocker group were comparable with those who did not have the device. 93.2% of those with ShotBlocker experienced mild to no pain compared to 51.7% of those without ShotBlocker. Regardless of the gender (male p < 0.001 and female p = 0.002) those with the device had significantly lower pain scores than those without the device (p < 0.010). CONCLUSION: ShotBlocker, a colorful plastic device with multiple contact points on its underside, significantly reduces pain associated with intramuscular injection. This may allay the fear of getting a shot.

<<<BACK