Temporal Dynamics of Pain: Examining the Relationship Between Intramuscular Injection Duration and Pain Perception: A Crossover Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background Effective pain management is crucial for optimizing the patient experience and satisfaction with care. Many factors affect the intensity of injection pain, and one of these factors is the duration of the injection. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of intramuscular injection duration on perceived pain intensity in adults. Methods Fifty participants received injections according to a predetermined research protocol. Each participant served as their own control group. The intervention group was administered the drug over 40 seconds. The control group was given the same drug on the other side dorsogluteal region the following day, according to the unit's routine, in 10 seconds. Pain intensity was measured using the Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale and the Numerical Rating Scale. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS (IBM Corp. Released 2017. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 25.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp), including Wilcoxon and correlation analyses, with a significance level set at p < 0.05. Results The Wilcoxon test revealed a significant decrease in pain scores for the intervention group (p < 0.05), indicating that longer injection durations were associated with lower pain intensity. Significant correlations were found between hospital phobia and the use of pain relief measures, with pain perception (p < 0.05). Conclusion This research establishes a correlation between extended durations of intramuscular injections and pain intensity. These findings have implications for pain management during medical procedures and can contribute to optimizing patient comfort.