Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Student Research Committee, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences, Sabzevar, Iran

2 Assistant Professor of Biostatistics, Department of biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Health Iranian Research Center on Healthy Aging, Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences, Sabzevar, Iran

3 Assistant Professor of Nursing, Department of Critical Care Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran

4 Professor, Iranian Research Center of Healthy Aging, Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences, Sabzevar, Iran

Abstract

Introduction: Previous studies have explored various methods to reduce injection pain, including techniques such as stretching, pressure application, and complementary approaches. However, there is limited research specifically examining the relationship between skin phototype and pain severity. This study aims to investigate the relationship between skin phototypes and the intensity of pain caused by intramuscular injection of dexamethasone.
Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 401 patients selected through convenience sampling at the injection unit of Qazvin Province Hospital. Pain intensity was measured using the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS). Patients' pain levels were evaluated and recorded once during and immediately after the injection. The skin phototypes of the participating patients were classified according to Fitzpatrick's classification. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 24.
Results: The average age of participants was 38.5 years, with 46.1% identified as male and 53.9% as female. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was employed to assess the effect of skin phototype on pain intensity. The findings indicated that different skin phototypes did not significantly affect pain severity (p > 0.05).
Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that skin phototype is not associated with pain severity caused by intramuscular injection of dexamethasone. Given the lack of prior research on this topic and the limitations of this study, further investigation into other factors influencing pain, such as anxiety levels or injection techniques, is recommended.

Keywords

Main Subjects

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