The effect of cold spray application on pain level and pain fear in intramuscular injecti̇on

This study was conducted semi-experimentally to investigate the effect of cold spray application on injection pain and pain fear. Cold spray temporarily blocks pain receptors by reducing skin temperature through rapid evaporation of the volatile liquid and provides relief from pain sensation. Its fast onset, affordability, and ease of use make it a convenient pain prevention method. The study was conducted on patients who applied to the injection clinic of a state hospital and had a prescription drug containing cyanocobalamin as the active ingredient. The study was carried out with a total of 96 participants, including 48 intervention and 48 control groups, between June-August 2022. The injection procedure was performed from the ventrogluteal area by the researcher following the designated steps, and all necessary ethical permissions were obtained. Cold spray was applied to the intervention group before the injection, while no intervention was applied to the control group. The Personal Identification Questionnaire Form, Visual Analog Scale, and Pain Fear Scale-III were used as data collection tools. In the evaluation of data, the Mann-Whitney U test was used for non-normally distributed data, and the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test was used for comparison between paired measurements. It was observed that all of the intervention group and 68.8% of the control group had previous injection experience. During the injection, 39.6% of the intervention group and 30.3% of the control group reported experiencing pain. The final Visual Analog Scale test scores of the intervention group were significantly lower than the pre-test scores. In the Pain Fear Scale, a significant difference was observed between pre-test and post-test scores for both groups in terms of "Medical Pain Fear and Total Pain Fear Scale Scores." When comparing the groups, the pre-test "Severe Pain Fear Scale Scores" were significantly higher than the post-test scores. As a result, it was seen that cold spray application reduced injection-related pain and pain fear in intramuscular injections. Therefore, it provides comfort in intramuscular injections, and its use is recommended by nurses.