The effect of ice application on injection site pain of intramuscular tetanus vaccine injection in adults

Tetanus vaccine is injected intramuscularly in emergency departments and its most common side effect is injection site pain. Many methods have been tried to administer painless intramuscular injections and some of them are successful, but each of these methods have their disadvantages and none of them is widely accepted for emergency room useIn our study, we determined the effect of ice on injection site pain caused by tetanus vaccine administration into deltoid muscle. The study was conducted in adult patients in emergency department. In the study group an ice cube was applied to injection site for 2 minutes just before injection, and in the control group the vaccine was administered using routine technique. 100 patients were assigned to each group. The mean pain visual analog scale scores (VAS) were 6,99±8,31 in the study group versus 21,61±19,33 in the control group. Study group had lower pain scores and the difference was both statistically and clinically significant (p<0.001). Ice application was well tolerated by the patients, there were no systemic or severe local side effects. This method is effective, fast, cheap, practical and easy to apply. These properties make it ideal for emergency room?s busy environmentIn our study we found that the patients who were afraid of injections or who experienced pain during previous injections and women had higher VAS scores. So, if ice can not be used for everyone, it should at least be used for these subgroups and for patients who demand for a painless injection method.Key words: ice, injection site pain, intramuscular tetanus?