Comparison of the efficacy of ShotBlocker and cold spray in reducing intramuscular injection-related pain in adults: A prospective, randomized, controlled trial

OBJECTIVES: To compare the efficacy of ShotBlocker and cold spray in reducing intramuscular (IM) injection-related pain in adults. METHOS: A prospective, randomized, controlled study carried out between January 2018 and March 2018 at the Department of Emergency Medicine, Acibadem Mehmet Ali Aydinlar University, School of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey. Adult patients receiving IM injection of diclofenac sodium (75 mg/3 ml) were included. The patients were randomized into 3 groups: ShotBlocker, cold spray, and control. Each group comprised 40 patients. Patients were instructed to rate the intensity of IM injection-related pain using a 100-mm visual analog scale (VAS). Visual analog scale scores of the patients were statistically analyzed. RESULTS: Visual analog scale scores were lower in the ShotBlocker (11 mm) and cold spray (10 mm) groups than in the control group (31 mm) (p=0.001). There were no significant differences in VAS scores between the ShotBlocker and cold spray groups. The operators’ responses revealed that ShotBlocker was more difficult to administer than cold spray. CONCLUSION: ShotBlocker is an effective non-pharmacological method that reduces IM injection-related pain and is similar in efficacy, to cold spray.