CClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT05143450Updated Jun 15, 2022

Efficacy of Manual Pressure in Infants

An interventional study of Manual Pressure in Pain Management, sponsored by Biruni University. Completed at 1 site in Turkey. Open to participants aged 4 Months to 4 Months. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2022-06-15.

Sponsored by Biruni University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Supportive care

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
70
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
4 Months to 4 Months
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Manual pressure is an effective, easy-to-apply, no preparation, and cost-effective method of reducing pain associated with the injection. This study will be carried out to determine the effect of manual pressure applied to the injection site on the pain level and crying time of the infants before the injection of the Diphtheria-Tetanus-Acellular Pertussis Vaccine (DTaP), Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV), and Haemophilus Influenzae Type b Vaccine (Hib) (5-in-1) in 2-month-old infants. The study will be conducted with the randomized controlled experimental method. Before the procedure, manual pressure will be applied to the injection site with the thumb for 10 seconds to the infants in the experimental group. No non-pharmacological method will be used before vaccination to the infants in the control group. Pain scores of infants in the intervention and control groups will be evaluated before, during, and after vaccination. In addition, the total crying times of the babies will be calculated and recorded with a stopwatch.

Read the detailed description

Vaccine injection is one of the most common causes of pain in healthy infants and children. Parents may avoid or delay vaccination to avoid the pain their child experiences repeatedly with vaccination. Avoiding or delaying vaccination by parents may lead to disruption of vaccination programs, and thus an increase in infectious diseases that can be prevented by vaccination. Therefore, the management of pain due to vaccine injection in children is very important. Many non-pharmacological methods are used to control vaccine-related pain in children. Manual pressure, which is one of these methods, is applied to the injection area with the thumb for 10 seconds before the injection. The pain control effect of manual pressure is explained by the gate control theory. According to this theory, the presence and severity of pain depend on the transmission of neurological stimuli. In summary, if the door is open, the warnings reach the level of consciousness and pain is felt, if it is closed, the warnings do not reach the consciousness and pain is not felt. Applications such as rubbing the pain area, pressing with a finger, massage provide closing the door to painful stimuli. The aim of the study is to determine the effect of manual pressure applied to the injection site on the pain level and crying time of the infants before the injection of the DTaP-IPV-Hib vaccine (5-in-1) in 2-month-old infants.The sample size of the study has been determined by the power analysis (G*Power 3.1.9.2), in line with the results obtained from the studies which have been conducted using a similar research method. The sample size was found to be a total of 66 children including minimum of 33 children for each group. It was estimated that case losses may occur and therefore, it was decided to conduct the study with a total of 70 children including 35 children in two groups. Information Form, Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability (FLACC) Scale, and chronometer will use for data collection. Children's parents who applied to the Kumkapi Family Health Center will be given information about the study. Information about children and their parents included in the study will ask by the researcher through face-to-face interviews and these data will record in 'Information Form' five minutes before the procedure.

Before the procedure, manual pressure will be applied to the injection site with the thumb for 10 seconds to the infants in the experimental group. No non-pharmacological method will be used before vaccination to the infants in the control group. The latero-femoral region (vastus lateralis muscle) will be used as the injection site for vaccination. All infants in the intervention and control groups will be accompanied by their parents throughout the procedure. In addition, the chronometer will be started when the baby starts to cry, and the chronometer will be stopped when the crying stops. Total crying time will be recorded on the Information Form. Before, during, and after vaccination children's pain will evaluate with the FLACC Scale by the healthcare provider who performs the injection. Before and during venipuncture children's pain will evaluate with the FLACC Scale and their emotional status will evaluate with the Children's Emotional Manifestation Scale by the healthcare provider who performs the venipuncture procedure.

02

Conditions studied

  • Pain Management

Keywords

  • injection
  • manual pressure
  • pain
  • pain management
  • vaccination
03

In context

Lead sponsor

Biruni University is the lead sponsor of 172 studies on the registry; 43 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
4 Months to 4 Months
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • Being a healthy baby born at term
  • Being 4 months old
  • Having no chronic disease,
  • Having no neurological disease.
  • Not taking an analgesic drug within 24 hours before vaccination.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Being an unhealthy baby born at preterm or post-term,
  • Being younger or older than 4 months old,
  • Having a chronic disease,
  • Having a neurological disease,
  • Taking an analgesic drug within 24 hours before vaccination.
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Supportive care
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
70 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Experimental Group

    Before the procedure, manual pressure will be applied to the injection site with the thumb for 10 seconds to the infants by the researcher.

    Other: Manual Pressure

  • No intervention
    Control Group

    No intervention will perform to reduce pain in the control group.

Interventions

  • OtherManual Pressure

    In the experimental group manual pressure will be applied to the injection site with the thumb for 10 seconds to the infants by the researcher before the procedure. Manual pressure reduces pain within the framework of the gate control theory. According to the gate control theory, when pressure is applied to an area, a fiber transmits the feeling of pressure instead of pain and ultimately the pain sensation is alleviated.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Change of Pain

    Pain will assess by the healthcare provider who performs the venipuncture procedure with the FLACC (Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability) Scale. This scale was developed to evaluate the pain of children aged 2 months to 7 years. The child's facial expression, leg movements, activity, crying, and comfortability behaviors are evaluated in relation to pain. These five behaviors are rated with 0, 1, or 2 points. The total score of the scale ranges from 0 to 10, and a high score indicates that the child has more pain. '0' points from the scale indicate no pain, '1-3' points indicate mild pain, '4-6' points indicate moderate pain, and '7-10' points indicate severe pain.

    Time frame: Before vaccine injection, when the vaccine starts to be injected and immediately after the injector was removed.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Crying time

    Crying time throughout vaccine injections will be calculated for each infant using a chronometer.

    Time frame: During vaccine injection and immediately after injection

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Kumkapi Family Health Center
    Istanbul, Turkey
08

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jun 15, 2022, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT05143450
Lead sponsor
Biruni University
Responsible party
Zeynep Erkut (Assistant Professor, PhD, Biruni University) — Principal investigator
First posted
Dec 3, 2021
Start date
Dec 15, 2021
Primary completion
Jun 2, 2022
Completion
Jun 2, 2022
Last update
Jun 15, 2022

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Nov 2021. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

Follow this study

Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.

Sign in to follow

Discussion

Questions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.

Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.

Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.

Start the discussion