ShotBlocker versus cryotherapy for reducing pain and anxiety associated with subcutaneous injection

Abstract Objective To determine and compare the abilities of ShotBlocker and cryotherapy for reducing pain and anxiety associated with subcutaneous injections. Subcutaneous injection has been used excessively for continuous, low-dose administration of drugs. Considering that these drugs may require prolonged administration, new devices and methods of injection are needed to decrease pain and anxiety associated with repeated drug injections. Methods A quasi-experimental study design on a purposive sample of 54 patients comprised of both sexes has been utilized. The subjects were divided into 2 equal groups (group 1, ShotBlocker; group 2, cryotherapy), and 3 tools were used, namely the socio-demographic and medical data sheet, Verbal Descriptor Scale for measuring pain, and Beck Anxiety Inventory. Results A significant reduction in pain and anxiety mean scores was observed after using cryotherapy and ShotBlocker techniques during subcutaneous injection. In addition, the ShotBlocker group exhibited significantly lower pain and anxiety mean scores compared with the cryotherapy group. Conclusions Our findings revealed that ShotBlocker and cryotherapy were effective non-pharmacological methods for reducing pain and anxiety levels associated with repeated subcutaneous injections.