The effect of vibration stimulation on intramuscular injection pain and patient satisfaction: Single–blind, randomised controlled study

Aims and objectives The aim of this study was to assess the effect of vibration stimulation application in ventrogluteal region on intramuscular injection pain and patient satisfaction. Background Intramuscular injection pain caused distress for the patients and affected their compliance with the treatment. Design This was a prospective, single‐blind, cross‐over study. The study complied with the guidelines of Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT). Methods Eighty‐four patients who applied to the adult emergency department received an intramuscular injection of amoxicillin\ cefuroxime sodium to the ventrogluteal site with and without vibration in a random order following a standard procedure by the same investigator. Pain and satisfaction were assessed immediately after the injection with Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), by a researcher blinded to the study. The data were evaluated using mean, standard deviation, percentage, Student's t‐test, paired sample t‐test, linear regression analysis and generalised linear mixed model. Results A total of 174 injections were analysed. The result of the study revealed that vibration decreased the severity of pain and increased the patient satisfaction. Conclusions Vibration is a non‐pharmacologic approach, which can be effective in decreasing the injection pain and increasing patient satisfaction. Relevance to clinical practice Intramuscular injection is the most frequently used nursing practice in the clinic. The use of vibration in decreasing pain due to intramuscular applications can help increase the self‐confidence of nurses and the quality of the care they provide.