Claire Lucas
Bachelor of Design (Hons)
Trypanophobia: The Cast
Trypanophobia is the fear of needles. 20% of the population is affected by this phobia and in some cases avoid medical treatment. These phobia reducing therapeutic objects (PRTO) will help reduce stress, anxiety and pain in people who suffer from this phobia. Each object tackles a different aspect of a treatment, which will be tested, and aims to help in different ways; from the applied tension technique to stop fainting, to ways to allow the nurse to find the vein more clearly, guided meditation, distractions, and vibrations to confuse the nerves, which eliminates some pain.
Resting your arm in the cast with your finger tips on the vibration points confuses the nerves and eliminates some pain during the needle process.