Background: The neonatal reactions to painful procedures are equal to but stronger than adult
reactions, especially for an invasive procedure. Helfer skin tapping technique is an important
intervention to be practiced by nurses and parents for effective pain management in children. Aim:
To evaluate the effect of Helfer skin tap technique on reducing pain levels among newborns
receiving the Hepatitis B- vaccine. Research design: Two groups post test quasi-experimental
research design (control and study groups) was used in this study. Sample: A purposeful sample of
80 newborns was divided into two equal groups control and study group. Setting: The current study
was conducted in the delivery unit at Minia General Hospital. Tools: Part 1: Personal
characteristics of the newborn such as age/hours after birth, sex, and type of delivery. Part Ⅱ
:
Neonatal Infant Pain Scale (NIPS) for assessing pain level in newborns during and immediately
after administration of hepatitis B-vaccine: Results: There was a reduction in the total mean scores
of pain level in the study group were 2.0 and 1.7during and immediately after intramuscular
injection of hepatitis B- vaccine respectively, while in control group means were 2.6 and 3.4
respectively with statistically significant differences. But no statistically significant differences
between total pain level and the newborns' age, sex, and mode of delivery. Conclusion: The
current study concluded that applying Helfer skin tapping technique is more effective for pain
reduction among newborns receiving the hepatitis B -vaccine with statistically significant
diffrences. There were no statistically significant differences between the level of pain and the
newborn's demographic characteristics. Recommendations: Training programs on applying Helfer
skin tap technique during vaccination of newborn infants should be conducted for nurses in the
hospital setting as well as in immunization centers to reduce pain.