The efficacy of manual pressure application in reducing pain because of intramuscular penicillin injection: A semi-experimental study
Keywords:
Intramuscular injections, nursing, pain management, penicillinAbstract
Purpose: The study aimed to examine the efficacy of manual pressure application in reducing pain associated with an intramuscular penicillin injection.
Design and methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted in a university hospital in Turkey. The study sample consisted of 60 patients who met the inclusion criteria and planned to be injected with penicillin in the ventrogluteal region. Each patient’s first dose of penicillin was administered using the standard procedure. Manual pressure was applied to the injection site first before administering the second dose of penicillin, and the standard injection procedure was followed. The “Patient Introduction Form” and “Visual Analogue Scale” were used to collect the study data. Percentages, frequencies, numbers, mean values, and standard deviations were used, as well as parametric and nonparametric tests in the data analysis.
Results: The mean post-injection pain level (0 minimum, 100 mm maximum) in the injections applied to the patients with the standard method was 62.92±16.85 mm. After applying manual pressure, the mean pain level was 56.05±23.00 mm.
Conclusion: This study determined that the application of manual pressure before injection reduces the pain of intramuscular penicillin injection. Based on these results, it is recommended to apply manual pressure to the adult intramuscular injection site before intramuscular penicillin injection.
Practice implications: Applying pressure to the injection site is a simple and inexpensive method to reduce injection-related pain.
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