Reducing the pain of childhood vaccination: an evidence-based clinical practice guideline

Injections for vaccinations, the most common source of iatrogenic pain in childhood, are administered repeatedly to almost all Canadian children throughout infancy, childhood and adolescence. The pain associated with such injections is a source of distress for children, their parents and those administering the injections. . . . Minimizing pain during childhood vaccination can help to prevent distress, development of needle fears and subsequent health care avoidance behaviours. . . . Our objective was to develop a clinical practice guideline . . . to assist clinicians in managing procedure-related pain and distress among children undergoing vaccine injections.