Syringes: Those who look the other way suffer more

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MunichBeing hit with needles by a doctor is uncomfortable. Nevertheless, one should not turn a blind eye to this: People who, for example, look at blood sampling, are less painful of the puncture.

This finding was brought to light by a study with 192 patients. Doctors warned the patients with words like "It'll be prick soon!" Or "Ready?" Before they sank a hypodermic needle into their vein. The majority, namely 73 percent, turned their gaze away spontaneously. The remaining 27 percent watched the procedure.

Half as strong pain sensation

The researchers then had the patients rate the pain they felt on a scale from one to ten. Test subjects who had watched the puncture felt the pain with 0.48 percent, only about half as much as patients who had looked the other way. How the participants were verbally prepared for the puncture had no influence on the pain perception.

Self-experiment at the doctor

The study cannot answer the question of whether looking at the prick actually makes the prick less painful, or whether people, who generally feel needles less strongly, simply look rather more, cannot be answered by the study. Testing this for yourself at your next visit to the doctor, however, is worth a try. (cf)

Source: R. Vijayan: Out of sight, but not out of mind? Greater reported pain in patients who spontaneously look away during venipuncture; European Journal of Pain; 30 MAY 2014, DOI: 10.1002 / ejp.526

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