[joanne helfer]

I have been an ER nurse for 27yrs. About 20 yrs ago, an LVN showed me a technique for giving injections that really are painless to patients. They are always amazed. I have been researching, and there is not a technique in texts for this. If you have heard of it,pleas e let me know.
What I do is I first have them relax the muscle,putit in a dependent position. this is the trick: I MAKE A WIDE V WITH MY THUMB AND THE REST OF MY FINGERS AND I COUNT TO 3 AND SIMULTANEOUSLY TAP THE SKIN (SLAP IT) WHEN I INSERT THE NEEDLE. I DO THE SAME WHEN I REMOVE THE NEEDLE AND THEY NEVER FEEL IT AND ARE ALWAYS SURPRISED. I AM FINALLY GOING TO GET AROUND TO WRITING IT UP AS A RESEARCH PILOT PROJECT. I WOULD LIKE FEEDBACK IF YOU HAVE HEARD OR USED THIS. IF YOU WOULD LIKE MORE FEEDBACK AS TO HOW TO DO IT, FEEL FREE TO EMAIL ME.THANKS JOANNE

[LindaC]

Hi Joanne, I'm in your program, up at HSU. I have a friend who in now an RN, but as an LVN she also learned this same method you use. I'll have to ask her where she went to school, or if someone else taught her. I'm not sure about the V shape, but she slaps the arm just as she injects, and it's true (from personal experience with her!), it does not hurt at the time.

I think if you were injecting a painful substance, it would still hurt; but the distraction or the gate theory accounts for the lack of pain. Good luck with your project. it would certainly not hurt to have it published! Linda.

[mozart]

hi ...am a staff nurse from brunei...regarding painless injection..

what i always do, keep talking to them about ..almost everything..psychologically talking about other matters while giving a patient an injection would divert their attention. usually, for patient, whenever injection is necessary for them - they always ask if its going to be painful or vice versa...so talk to them, talk anything while your hand and syringe are doing the job..

when communication happens during the procedure, what i always get is ...they couldnt feel the pain...instead they will ask me when am done - are you done?...

but let me get straight with these... some injections are painful what ever you do...antibiotics for example are painful...i tend to be straight forward with the patients most of the time... havent try out the other method yet but who knows..it might as well a painless one.

[muhaha]

wouldnt some patients say that was abusive (slapping them?)

even though its probably just a tap

[TeleRN254]

can someone post a video of this technique?

[lindyjoe]

This is such a coincidence that I came across this post. My Dr gives injections in a similar manner. I was planning on contacting her to see if she would be willing to share the technique. The first time I experienced this was for my hep series.....and it is painless. I did not feel a thing.

[sm6531]

hi!
this technique is used to distract the patient. with this technique. while u hold the needle with your first and second fingers in an horizontal position, u put the other 3 together(vertical) and slap the area near the injection site and rapidly u have to move the needle into a vertical position and insert. u slap 2 times and at the third u insert. i heard about at school in 1998. never heard about the same procedure when removing the needle.