That First Injection: Do Not Instill Fear. So much of a child’s relationship with medical interactions. There really is no reason that any child should fear getting an injection. While most physician’s offices are hectic, promoting a calm atmosphere is important. Certainly, it all starts when your patient walks through the door. Since children are sensitive to vibes in the air, they will feel the fear of others when they enter the waiting room. Therefore, it is to the benefit of everyone to take your time.
That First Injection: As nurses, we are taught how to effectively inject medications. What we are not usually taught is how to reduce the pain. The needles of today are so sharp and thin. Therefore, the entry of the needle is not usually the cause of pain. However, there are many medications that are painful. That means they either sting or cause a lump due to their thickness. All of these can be alleviated by injecting them using a few simple tricks.
That First Injection: For some unknown reason, many nurses and doctors feel that hiding the syringe reduces fear. While I was nursing, I found some very good suggestions. Some were from other caregivers. There were some from the patients themselves. However, most of these suggestions came from personal experience. First, I will list them. Next, I will explain my tricks:
♦ Do not hide the syringe!
♦ When injecting any medication, think distraction.
♦ Give all medications that are thick or sting slowly over 60 seconds.
That First Injection: Just think about hiding the syringe. How would it make you feel; when someone is hiding your shot behind them out of sight? Certainly, it makes me uncomfortable. After all, what are they concealing? Therefore, the first habit to break is to hide the syringe. Touch the child with the cap on and show them that there is nothing to fear.
Now, even with these wonderfully sharp needles, we have. There needs to be some distraction. Certainly, there are many methods of distraction. My favorite is to apply a little pressure to the muscle that I am injecting. Of course, we want the needle to go into the skin quickly. Now I usually pause for a few seconds and look at the child smiling. However, I am still applying pressure to the muscle.
Finally, when giving a medication that is thick or stings, I will continue using pressure for distraction. While I give the medication slowly over at least 60 seconds, now that the medication is being injected, I will certainly increase the pressure on the muscle so they feel my fingers and not the medication. Consequently, if the medication is thick, I will rub the site after I remove the needle. Thereby assisting the absorption of the medication. All the while not leaving a lump under the skin.
Certainly, as nurses, we want to help our patients. Yet frequently, we get in a hurry. While doing our jobs in an efficient manner is important, so is the effect of what we do when caring for our patients. Just imagine what an amazing feeling you would have when a new patient’s parent tells you that they have never been to such a calm office before. Resulting in a happier working atmosphere.
Response Magic