Published Paper Details:

This study has been undertaken to examine the effect of breast feeding on immunization pain among infants within six months of age in a selected immunization clinic of West Bengal. Post test only control group design was adopted. Forty healthy infants returning to the immunization clinic for their second dose of injection DPT vaccine and above, were selected using purposive sampling technique. Then they were divided into experimental group and control group. Breast feeding was started two minutes before, during, and after administration of vaccine ( DPT second dose) in experimental group. The control group was administered the vaccine without breast feeding. Unstructured interview schedule was used to collect background data. Pain responses of infants (immediately after and two minutes after) were assessed by using Modified Riley Infant Pain Assessment Scale in terms of intensity of pain and duration of crying. Result showed that mean immunization pain scores were statistically significant as evidenced by calculated�t� value (t=6.22 and 7.26, immediately after and two minutes after administration of vaccine). The crying time was significantly shorter in the experimental group (mean = 43.55 seconds,) than in the control group (mean = 95.95 seconds, �t�=5.25 ). There was no relationship (p <0.05) between Immunization pain score and time of last feeding before starting treatment as evidenced by calculated t value ( 0.55 and 0.59, in experimental group and control group, respectively). Perception of pain among infants had serious consequences in future. So, nursing personnels of sub centre and immunization clinic of hospitals might practice application of providing breastfeeding during administration of vaccine among infants to reduce immunization pain and protocol could be established in pediatric ward in reducing procedural pain regularly.