The Effect of Mechanical Vibration and Flick Tapping Methods in Reducing Pain in Infant Vaccination

Most tactile stimuli, such as vibration, have the potential to reduce pain because many large fibers are present in the skin. It is stated that mechanical vibration works primarily by turning off the ascending transmission of the nociceptive afferent nerve signal in the spinal-thalamic pathway and may provide an alternative or additional pain relief method for acute, short-term pain in newborns.

A research protocol examining the effect of vibration on the crying duration variable in needle-related medical procedures in newborns also predicted that vibration therapy would be effective in reducing pain caused by vaccine injection and shortening the newborn's crying time.

The use of hands is the oldest known and universal method for relieving pain. Methods such as manual pressure application (similar to the flick method) are used to reduce pain during invasive procedures.

Manual methods can be incorporated into clinical practice without additional cost or time. Experimental and clinical studies have suggested that various types of manual stimulation of certain nerve fibers (manipulations such as rubbing, applying pressure, and tapping just above or below painful areas) followed by the release of beta-endorphin into the bloodstream relieves pain.

Flicking the injection site can be used to control pain in childhood. To date, only one experimental study testing the flick method has reported that the flick method applied before intramuscular injection had lower pain scores in babies during and after vaccination.

Studies show that the positive effects of both methods are mentioned. However, no study has been found to examine the effects of both methods on injection pain that may occur when the second dose of Hepatitis B vaccine is administered in the neonatal period and compare their effects. The fact that the effects of mechanical vibration and flicking methods as pain relief strategies on reducing pain, physiological parameters and crying duration have not been examined in this population before shows the deficiency in the literature. This study will be the first to examine the effectiveness of vibration analgesia with the flick method in intramuscular injection pain in the newborn baby population in the same sample group and to compare the analgesic effectiveness of both methods.

In line with all this information, this study aimed to examine the effect of flicking the injection site before the second dose of the Hepatitis B vaccine applied to the anterior surface of the vastus lateralis muscle in infancy and applying mechanical vibration to the injection site throughout the vaccination procedure on acute pain, crying duration and physiological parameters that may occur due to intramuscular injection.

Inclusion criteria

• Mothers agreeing to participate in the study,
• The baby's gestational age being between 38 and 42 weeks,
• Babies being 30-42 days old after birth,
• The baby's birth weight being between 2500 g and 4000 g
• The infant has not been given pain medication prior to vaccination and has a normal body temperature.

Exclusion criteria

• Araştırmaya katılmayı kabul etmeyen anneler,
• Gestasyonel yaşı 38. haftanın altında 42. haftanın üzerinde olan bebekler,
• Konjenital hastalık veya doğumsal anomalisi olan bebekler olarak belirlendi.