The fear of needles: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Aims The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of needle fear and summarize the characteristics of individuals who exhibit this fear. Background Injections are among the most common medical procedures, yet fear of needles can result in avoidance of preventive measures and treatment. Design Systematic review and meta‐analysis. Data Sources MEDLINE (1966–2017), Embase (1947–2017), PsycINFO (1967–2017), and CINAHL (1961–2017) were searched, with no restrictions by age, gender, race, language, or country. Review Methods The prevalence of needle fear was calculated and restricted maximum likelihood random effects models were used for meta‐analysis and meta‐regression. Results The search yielded 119 original research articles which are included in this review, of which 35 contained sufficient information for meta‐analysis. The majority of children exhibited needle fear, while prevalence estimates for needle fear ranged from 20‐50% in adolescents and 20–30% in young adults. In general, needle fear decreased with increasing age. Both needle fear and needle phobia were more prevalent in females than males. Avoidance of influenza vaccination because of needle fear occurred in 16% of adult patients, 27% of hospital employees, 18% of workers at long‐term care facilities, and 8% of healthcare workers at hospitals. Needle fear was common when undergoing venipuncture, blood donation, and in those with chronic conditions requiring injection. Conclusions Fear of needles is common in patients requiring preventive care and in those undergoing treatment. Greater attention should be directed to interventions which alleviate fear in high‐risk groups. 目的 本研究旨在评估针头恐惧的发生率,并总结出现这种恐惧的个体的特征。 背景 注射是最常见的医疗程序之一,但对针头的恐惧会导致患者拒绝预防处理和治疗。 设计 系统回顾与元分析。 数据来源 搜索MEDLINE(1966‐2017)、Embase(1947‐2017)、PsycINFO(1967‐2017)和护理学数据库(CINAHL)(1961‐2017),不限制年龄、性别、种族、语言或国家。 评价方法 计算针头恐惧的发生率,采用限制性最大似然随机效应模型进行元分析和元回归分析。 结果 此次审查中检索出119篇原创研究论文,其中35篇包含足够的元分析信息。大多数儿童表现出针头恐惧症,而针头恐惧症的患病率估计在青少年中为20‐50%,年轻人为20‐30%。一般而言,随着年龄的增长,针头恐惧感也降低。女性的针头恐惧感和打针恐惧症比男性更普遍。16%的成年患者、27%的医院工作人员、18%的长期护理机构工作人员和8%的医院医务人员因害怕针头而避免接种流感疫苗。在静脉穿刺、献血和需要注射治疗的慢性疾病患者中,针头恐惧是一种常见现象。 结论 对针的恐惧在需要预防护理的患者和正在接受治疗的患者中很常见。应更加注重采取干预措施,减轻高危人群的针头恐惧。