Becton, Dickinson, and Company, Franklin Lakes, NJ, United States of America.
Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
PLoS One. 2022 Nov 21;17(11):e0276814. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0276814. eCollection 2022.
Needle phobia is an overlooked condition that affects virtually all medical procedures. Our study aimed to identify how commonly needle phobia is experienced, its underlying reasons, impacts, and potential mitigation strategies. A global survey was conducted in a general adult population using a questionnaire based on a targeted literature review that identified under-researched areas. The 21-item questionnaire was completed on a secure, web-based survey platform. Statistical analyses and models were utilized to identify relationships between participant characteristics and needle phobia. Of the 2,098 participants enrolled in the study, 63.2% (n = 1,325) reported experiencing needle phobia, and rated the intensity of their fear as 5.7 (±2.6) on average on a scale from 0 (no fear) to 10 (very strong/unreasonable fear or avoidance). According to the logistic regression model, other medical fears (odds coefficient = 2.14) and family history (1.67) were the most important factors associated with needle phobia. General anxiety (96.1%) and pain (95.5%) were the most common reasons for needle fear. Of the participants experiencing needle phobia, 52.2% stated avoiding blood draws, followed by 49.0% for blood donations, and 33.1% for vaccinations. While 24.3% of participants have seen a therapist, most have never sought help. The majority have shared their fear with nurses (61.1%) or physicians (44.4%); however, the provider helpfulness was rated as 4.9 (±3.1) on average on a scale from 0 (unhelpful) to 10 (extremely helpful). Utilizing non-invasive alternatives (94.1%) and smaller needles (91.1%) were most commonly identified as potential device-related solutions to alleviate fear; distractions (92.1%) and relaxation techniques (91.7%) were the top non-device-related approaches. Our findings highlight the prevalent nature of needle phobia and provide insights into its etiology and effects on patient care. Clinician responses were not perceived as helpful, emphasizing the need to address needle phobia, and improve patient experience.
恐针症是一种被忽视的病症，几乎会影响所有医疗程序。我们的研究旨在确定恐针症的普遍程度、其潜在原因、影响以及潜在的缓解策略。我们在普通成年人群中进行了一项全球调查，使用了基于目标文献综述的问卷，该综述确定了研究不足的领域。该 21 项问卷是在一个安全的网络调查平台上完成的。统计分析和模型被用来确定参与者特征与恐针症之间的关系。在参与研究的 2098 名参与者中，63.2%（n=1325）报告经历过恐针症，并在 0（无恐惧）到 10（非常强烈/不合理的恐惧或回避）的量表上平均将他们的恐惧强度评为 5.7（±2.6）。根据逻辑回归模型，其他医疗恐惧（优势比=2.14）和家族史（1.67）是与恐针症最相关的最重要因素。一般焦虑（96.1%）和疼痛（95.5%）是产生恐针症的最常见原因。在经历过恐针症的参与者中，52.2%表示会避免抽血，其次是 49.0%会避免献血，33.1%会避免接种疫苗。虽然 24.3%的参与者看过治疗师，但大多数人从未寻求过帮助。大多数人已经与护士（61.1%）或医生（44.4%）分享过他们的恐惧；然而，提供者的帮助程度平均评分为 4.9（±3.1），范围从 0（不提供帮助）到 10（非常有帮助）。利用非侵入性替代物（94.1%）和更小的针头（91.1%）是缓解恐惧最常见的潜在设备相关解决方案；分散注意力（92.1%）和放松技术（91.7%）是最常见的非设备相关方法。我们的研究结果强调了恐针症的普遍性质，并提供了对其病因及其对患者护理影响的深入了解。临床医生的反应没有被认为是有帮助的，这强调了需要解决恐针症问题，并改善患者体验。
