Background: Intramuscular injection is the injection of a substance directly into a muscle. It is a common practice in modern medicine. In India, approximately 6 billion injections are given every year. Painful injection incites severe fear, which may lead a patient to delay seeking medical help. Nurses have ethical and legal obligations to mitigate injection-related pain and the nurses' use of effective pain management not only provides physical comfort to the patients, but also improves the patients' experience. Objective: To assess the intensity of pain after Helfer skin tapping technique among patients receiving intramuscular injection. To assess the intensity of pain after direct digital pressure among patients receiving intramuscular injection. To compare between the intensity of pain after Helfer skin tapping technique and direct digital pressure among patients receiving intramuscular injection. To associate the intensity of pain with selected demographic variables. Methodology: In the present study, quantitative approach is used. Research design was true experimental post test only design. Probability simple random sampling technique using lottery method was used. Sample size was 60 adult patients [(30 in Helfer skin tapping technique (Group I) and 30 in Direct digital pressure (Group II)]. Result: Analysis reveals that in Group I mean score is 2.80 and in Group II mean score is 4.30. Unpaired ‘t’ test was used. Calculated ‘t’ value is 6.739 which is higher than tabulated ‘t’ value at 5% level of significance. Hence the research hypothesis H1 is accepted and null hypothesis H0 is rejected. Conclusion: The study concludes that there is a significant difference between mean pain score of patients who receive Helfer skin tapping technique (Group I) and those who receive Direct digital pressure (Group II). Hence based on the above cited findings it was concluded that Helfer skin tapping technique (Group I) is more effective than Direct digital pressure (Group II) for reducing intensity of pain among patients receiving intramuscular injection. Also, in both groups there is significant association of intensity of pain with Body Mass Index.

Keywords: Comparative; Assess; Effectiveness; Helfer Skin Tapping Technique; Direct Digital Pressure; Intensity of Pain; Intramuscular Injection; Patients.