Immunizations are a painful necessity. No one likes to see an infant cry from the pain, but parents realize the pain is short-lived and the protection is essential. Doctors and nurses keep looking for ways to lessen the tears.
Two month old infants receiving routine immunizations at the clinic of the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh were divided into two groups. Half of the 115 infants in the study were given a small drink of 25% sugar water, two minutes before the injection, a pacifier to suck on, and then were held by a parent while receiving the shot. The other infants were held on the exam table while getting the shot.
The infants who received the special treatment appeared to experience significantly less pain that those in the no-treatment group. They cried half as long as the no-treatment group. Their total crying time was about 30 seconds shorter.
At first, the nurses were concerned that parental holding of the babies would make giving the injections more difficult. However, they discovered this wasn't the case and many adopted this treatment approach.
"Here we have a good example of a simple and effective way to make babies and parents feel better during a necessary procedure," said Evelyn Reis, MD, the lead researcher.
Family Practice News, 2/15/03
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