Trypanophobia among medical students - An overlooked concern

Introduction: Trypanophobia or needle phobia is a concern for many when it comes to vaccinations, injectable medicines, blood draws, donations and thus can form a basis of avoidance of certain procedures in healthcare professionals. Our study thus, aims to assess the proportion and risk factors associated with Trypanophobia among medical undergraduates. Methodology: The protocol was presented to approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC) and permission from the college authorities was obtained. An online questionnaire was developed and the link to the google form was circulated among all the students studying at the college. Responses were compiled, analysed and then reported. The Injection Phobia Scale – Anxiety, an 18 point questionnaire was used to assess the degree of anxiety experienced by students in stressful situations due to their needle phobia. Results: The mean age of the study participants was 19.6 ± 1.2 years (17–24 years) and 179 (35.7%) were males. Trypanophobia was seen in 155 (30.9%) students and 115 (35.7%) were females (p = 0.002). 282 (56.3%) students thought that such a fear should not be seen students in the health care setting. Anxiety was the symptom seen in the majority and the degree of anxiety was higher in situations involving contact with needles. Distraction was the most common coping mechanism. Conclusion: More than one quarter of the respondents had Trypanophobia with majority being females. The degree of anxiety experienced by the students with Trypanophobia increased with the increase in the invasiveness of the procedure.