International journal of nursing practice
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Randomized Controlled Trial
The effect on pain of three different methods of intramuscular injection: A randomized controlled trial.
This paper is the report of a study to determine the effect on pain of internally rotating the foot, pointing the toes down and/or using the Z-track technique during intramuscular injection and to investigate differences in pain perception related to gender and body mass index. A randomized controlled trial was carried out from September to November 2010 on 75 patients receiving diclofenac sodium intramuscularly at a university hospital in Zonguldak, Turkey. The primary outcome measure collected was pain intensity, measured on a visual analogue scale. ⋯ Research findings demonstrated that the Z-track and internally rotated foot techniques significantly reduced pain intensity during intramuscular injection. Statistically significant differences in pain intensity were observed between the three injection techniques. The results supported the hypothesis that the internally rotated foot and Z-track techniques significantly reduce pain intensity.