Take the sting out of shots

MT. PLEASANT — An icy mist, soft lighting and playful murals might not sound like a recipe for courage — unless you’re a child in a clinic. In Henry County Public Health’s immunization rooms, those features are part of a deliberate effort to ease needle anxiety and transform a dreaded moment into something more manageable.

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For many families, the struggle is all too real.

My own 12-year-old daughter’s dread of shots reached its peak before school started this year. On the drive to the clinic, she expressed how she didn’t want a shot and didn’t think she should have to get one. Once we entered the exam room, her anxiety skyrocketed.

She nearly cried when the nurses came in and rejected every attempt at distraction. After nearly an hour, she finally put on her headphones, wrapped her arms and legs around her mother, and allowed both injections at once.

When it was over, she was sweaty and exhausted. So was I.

Health officials say those kinds of reactions are common — and worth addressing.

“Nobody runs back here excited to get shots, nobody” Henry County Public Health Registered Nurse Mandi Morin said. “Nobody’s ever excited to see us in here. So I say, you know, I have this cold spray, or we have what we call a buzzy which is a vibrating like ice pack. We have ice packs that clip to this little vibrating tool. Hold it there for like 20 seconds, and then we move it up when we’re ready to give the shot. So then it decreases the sensation because of the numbing and because of the cold.”

The department now offers an array of “calming tools” patients can request on their intake questionnaire. Options include cold spray, Buzzy and ShotBlocker devices, weighted lap pads, vibrating pillows, dimmed lights, and even a sound machine. For families who need more time, staff will happily schedule appointments outside of regular clinic hours.

Morin says scheduling a different time is perfect for situations like my own daughter’s when a lack of time restraint could alleviate some of the anxiety.

“It’s perfect for that situation, where we can take more time and just make it very smooth and feel non-rushed,” Morin said. “Because I think sometimes the kids pick up on that too. If there’s a waiting room full of people … it just makes everything so anxious. The longer you’re in the waiting room, the more time you have to be anxious about the situation.”

Distraction another very effective strategy for many children. According to Morin, younger children respond especially well to the department’s wall murals.

“One of our best techniques is our mural on the wall,” she said. “It’s an under-the-sea theme and five animals have band-aids. We have the kids look for them while we give the shots.”

The murals, painted by Iowa artist Oil Painter Annie, were funded through a grant from the University of Iowa’s Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities.

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“Thank you … for the grant to pay for this mural and various sensory aids to help us better serve ALL people in our immunization clinic!” the department shared in a public statement.

Experts say strategies like these aren’t just creative — they’re clinically effective.

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A 2021 review in The Journal of Anxiety Disorders found that up to two-thirds of children report strong fear of injections, and about 10 percent of adults experience anxiety severe enough to skip medical care. Researchers recommend interventions such as numbing sprays, vibration devices, distraction through toys or videos, deep breathing, and caregiver comfort positioning to reduce distress. Addressing the fear early, they note, helps prevent lifelong avoidance of medical care.

Morin said parents often play a critical role. Instead of placing children alone on exam tables, Henry County staff encourage kids to sit on a parent’s lap.

“That really helps with the stress, because they trust their parent,” Morin said.

This practice starts early.

“There’s actually some research that shows breastfeeding while babies get their shots is effective for anxiety, and it makes for a better experience,” Morin said. “If you start those better experiences from the beginning, it helps all the way down. It makes it less traumatic.”

Education can also play a role in reducing anxiety. Morin said she recently read a study that found children were more likely to accept vaccines when they understood what shots do inside the body.

“I love education and educating in the schools,” she said. “It was explaining how shots work, and kids were more likely to get them when they knew how they worked.”

According to the Center for Disease Control, most vaccines are delivered with a quick injection using a needle and syringe with the goal to get the vaccine into the body in the safest and most effective way.

While Morin says the only vaccine options readily available at most locations are via needles, she did mention that some individuals may be able to receive a midst option for the flu shot. In order to do that, however, they would need to get a prescription from their doctor and administer it at home.

Henry County Public Health has already seen how arming patients with knowledge and predictability can help.

For some children, especially those with developmental or sensory sensitivities, staff use a simple step-by-step list: sit down, clean the arm, hold still for the shot, then get a bandage. Morin said that kind of transparency keeps surprises to a minimum and eases tension.

Needle fear, often called trypanophobia, can develop from bad experiences, learned fears from parents, or general anxiety. But research shows that supportive environments and thoughtful preparation like that seen at Henry County Public Health can make a difference.

And anyone can benefit from these tools and techniques, whether they’re from Henry County or somewhere else.

“We do shots for anybody,” Morin said.

Henry County Public Health’s walk-in clinics are held Tuesdays from 9 to 11 a.m., Wednesdays and Thursdays from 1 to 4 p.m., and the first and third Thursdays from 1 to 6 p.m. For more information, call 319-385-0779.

“If you’re there for your shots, ask, because we want you to be comfortable with the process,” Morin said.

Comments: AnnaMarie.Kruse@southeastiowaunion.com