ISSN 2394-7330 International Journal of Novel Research in Healthcare and Nursing Vol. 3, Issue 3, pp: (77-94), Month: September - December 2016, Available at: www.noveltyjournals.com Page | 77 Novelty Journals Effects of Helfer Skin Tapping and Z – Track Techniques on Pain Intensity among Hospitalized Adult Patients Who Receiving Intramuscular Injection Omima Said M. H. Shehata Lecturer, Medical –Surgical Nursing Department, Faculty of Nursing, Menoufia University, Egypt Abstract: Pain caused by some therapeutic and nursing procedures has been a major concern of health care providers. Intramuscular (IM) injection is most frequently used but causing painful experience for many individuals. Moreover, injection pain is a common complaint of patients especially chronic patients who are experiencing repeated injection that let them escape, sometimes faint, to keep away from visiting the physician, or even refuse essential treatments. Aim of the current study was to investigate the effects of helfer skin tapping technique and Z-track technique on pain intensity among hospitalized adult patients who receiving IM injection. Subjects and Method, Quasi–experimental design was used in the current study. The current study was conducted in Medical- Surgical departments at Menoufia University Hospital. Total number of hundred participants were randomly alternatively divided into two equal group, 50 for each group, study group I (helfer skin tapping technique) and study group II (Z-track technique corresponding to power analysis that matched with the inclusion criteria. Two tools were used to, tool (1) was a structured interview questionnaire to collect socio-demographic and clinical health data, and tool (2) was universal pain assessment. Results showed that there were significant statistically differences between Verbal Descriptor Scale/Numerical Rating Scale (NRS), Wong-Baker Facial Grimace Scale/Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and Activity Tolerance Scale before the intervention (first time of injection using standard traditional technique) and after the intervention (second and third time of injection) for both studied group itself. Keywords: Helfer skin tapping technique, intramuscular injection, pain, Z- track technique. I. INTRODUCTION Pain is a multidimensional phenomenon, it is difficult to define, it is an individual and subjective experience, and no two individuals experience pain is the very same way. The international association for study of pain in 1979 defines pain as "unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or describe in terms of such damage (Hinkle & Cheever, 2014). There are 16 billion Intramuscular (IM) injections administered annually throughout the world (World Health Organization, 2011). In developing countries alone, some sixteen thousand million injections are administered annually, over, 90%, are administered for therapeutic aims whereas 5 to 10% are administered for disease prevention, the foremost important side-effect associated with injections is that the related pain. Injection pain is associated with the penetration of the skin by the needle and to the mechanical and chemical effects of the drug during and after its injection. This pain remains a significant obstacle in medication administration in kids furthermore in their population subject to needle- phobia due to the past experience of pain. The associated pain may thus interfere optimized treatment for these clients (Kanika, 2011).