Does "ShotBlocker" Affect Pain and Satisfaction During Diphtheria-Tetanus Vaccination in Pregnant Women? A Randomized Controlled Trial

As the rate of vaccination increases, preventable diseases and their negative effects decrease; Nevertheless, the significance of vaccine-related side effects is increasing. The most prevalent complications in vaccine applications are local reactions such as pain, swelling, and erythema at the injection site. The most frequent pain in these reactions develops after diphtheria-tetanus vaccine in which aluminum is used as an adjuvant. Diphtheria-tetanus vaccine is generally administered to the deltoid region by intramuscular injection (IM), and most pregnant women complain about the pain that they experience during and after administration of diphtheria-tetanus vaccine. Nurses have a great responsibility in reducing and eliminating the pain felt by patients during operations. The success of pain management is related to nurses' knowledge and skills. If the pain that an individual will feel due to the piercing of the skin with a needle during intramuscular injection application is decreased or reduced to minimum, the anxiety and fear that the person will experience may abate. Therefore, to reduce pain and anxiety in individuals during injection; nurses use many non-pharmacological methods. ShotBlocker (Bionix, Toledo, OH) is one of the methods that can be used to reduce pain caused by IM injections. This small, flat, U-shaped plastic device used by holding it on the skin surface during injection did not have any side effects. ShotBlocker has a surface of 2 mm thick with rounded nubs to stimulate the skin. The surface of the plastic device is placed on the skin just before the injection; there is a hole in the center where the injection is administered. The rounded nubs on the surface of the plastic device do not damage the skin, these rounded nubs that create a slight pressure provide a warning for the Gate Control Theory. ShotBlocker's mechanism of action is thought to reduce pain by stimulating nerve endings faster with pressure of rounded nubs on the device. This stimulation decreases pain by blocking pain signals temporarily during injections and by inhibiting the central nervous system.