A Study to assess the Effectiveness of Distraction on level of pain perception among infants receiving DPT immunization in selected hospital, Chennai

Abstract

A pain measure in infants is one of the most significant health challenges in the developing world. Pain can be defined as unpleasant sensory and emotional experiences associated with actual or potential tissue damage or described in terms of skin damage. Fear of injection is most common in children even for minor painful procedure. Many children receive no intervention to reduce pain during injection The health professional must use effective pain management to reduce pain in children. Distraction helps in the reduction of pain and focuses the activity in the environment. Distraction is useful for children of all ages undergoing procedural pain. The objective of the study was to assess the effectiveness of distraction on level of pain perception among infants receiving DPT immunization. The design employed for the study was a quasi- experimental post-test only control group design. The study was conducted in Southern Railway hospital, Perambur, Chennai. 60 infants, fulfilling the inclusion criteria were selected by non-probability purposive sampling technique. During DPT immunization, distraction was given by sound producing rattle for 1 minute then post assessment was done by Modified neonatal infant pain assessment scale. The comparison of post assessment level of pain perception revealed the mean difference 5.87 and the unpaired ‘t’ value of 15.561 which was highly significant at p<0.001level. It reveals that the infant’s pain perception level was reduced after distraction in experimental group. Therefore, distraction can be used as a safe and effective pain reducing measures during immunization which gives comfort to the infants. It is an easy practical nursing intervention which helps the infants cope up with the common painful procedures like injection, blood collection, IV fluid placement etc.