Clinical Practice Guidelines
Supplemental Information to our 2015 and 2016 Guidelines:
Taddio A. Setting the stage for improved practices during vaccine injections: A knowledge synthesis of interventions for the management of pain and fear. Clin J Pain 2015; Link
McMurtry CM, Pillai Riddell R, Taddio A, Racine N, Asmundson GJG, Noel M, Chambers CT, Shah V, HELPinKids&Adults Team. Far from “just a poke”: common painful needle procedures and the development of needle fear. Clin J Pain 2015; Link
Taddio A, McMurtry CM, Shah V, Yoon E, Uleryk E, Pillai Riddell P, Lang E, Noel M, Chamber CT, Noel M, MacDonald NE, HELPinKids&Adults Team. Methodology for knowledge synthesis of the management of vaccination pain and needle fear. Clin J Pain 2015; Link
Taddio A, Shah V, McMurtry CM, MacDonald NE, Ipp M, Pillai Riddell R, Noel M, Chambers CT, HELPinKids&Adults Team. Procedural and physical interventions for vaccine injections: systematic review of randomized controlled trials and quasi-randomized controlled trials. Clin J Pain 2015; Link
Shah V, Taddio A, McMurtry M, Halperin SA, Noel M, Pillai Riddell R, Chambers CT, HELPinKids&Adults Team. Pharmacological and combined interventions to reduce vaccine injection pain in children and adults: systematic review and meta-analysis. Clin J Pain 2015. Link
Pillai Riddell R, Taddio A, McMurtry CM, Chambers CT, Shah V, Noel M, and HELPinKIDS&Adults Team. Psychological Interventions for Vaccine Injections in Young Children 0 to 3 Years: Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials and Quasi-Randomized Controlled Trials. Clin J Pain 2015; Link
Birnie KA, Chambers CT, Taddio A, McMurtry CM, Noel M, Pillai Riddell R, Shah V, HELPinKids&Adults Team. Psychological interventions for vaccine injections in children and adolescents: systematic review of randomized and quasi-randomized controlled trials. Clin J Pain 2015. Link
Boerner KE, Birnie KA, Chambers CT, Taddio A, McMurtry CM, Noel M, Shah V, Pillai Riddell R, HELPinKIDS&Adults Team. Simple psychological interventions for reducing pain from common needle procedures in adults: systematic review of randomized and quasi-randomized controlled trials. Clin J Pain 2015; Link
Pillai Riddell R, Taddio A, McMurtry CM, Shah V, Noel M, Chambers CT, HELPinKids&Adults Team. Process interventions for vaccine injections: systematic review of randomized controlled trials and quasi-randomized controlled trials. Clin J Pain 2015; Link
McMurtry CM, Noel M, Taddio A, Antony MM, Asmundson GJG, Pillai Riddell R, Chamber CT, Shah V, HELPinKids&Adults Team. Interventions for individuals with high levels of needle fear: systematic review of randomized controlled trials and quasi randomized controlled trials. Clin J Pain 2015; Link
Noel M, Taddio A, McMurtry CM, Chambers CT, Pillai Riddell R, Shah V, HELPinKids&Adults Team. HELPinKids&Adults knowledge synthesis of the management of vaccination pain and high levels of needle fear: limitations of the evidence and recommendations for future research. Clin J Pain 2015; Link
Our Guidelines 2010:
2010 HELPinKIDS clinical practice guideline about reducing childhood vaccination pain and tools:
Reducing the pain of childhood vaccination: an evidence based clinical practice guideline (summary) - CMAJ article http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/rapidpdf/cmaj.092048v1
Reducing the pain of childhood vaccination: an evidence-based clinical practice guideline - CMAJ article November, 2010
Reducing the pain of childhood vaccination: an evidence-based clinical practice guideline - CMAJ article, Appendix 1 Parent Tool
Reducing the pain of childhood vaccination: an evidence-based clinical practice guideline - CMAJ article, Appendix 2 Clinician tool
Reducing the pain of childhood vaccination: an evidence-based clinical practice guideline - CMAJ article, Appendix 3 Documentation tool
Supplement Issue of the journal Clinical Therapeutics was devoted to immunization pain, and includes articles from HELPinKIDS Team that summarize immunization pain and effective pain-relieving strategies. http://www.clinicaltherapeutics.com/article/S0149-2918(09)00263-X/abstract
Original Research
Organizations & Groups (utilizing our work)
Reducing distress during vaccine injections: 2026 clinical practice guideline update
Anna Taddio BScPhm PhD, Vibhuti Shah MD MSc, C. Meghan McMurtry PhD, Eddy Lang MD, Noni E. MacDonald MD MSc, Elissa M. Abrams MD MPH, Shaindy Alexander BA MSc, Lucie M. Bucci MA, Jeannette Comeau MD MSc, Jocelyn Marcelo Cortes RN, Julene Cranch RN MPH, Lauralee Gallinger, Stephane Girouard MEd, Betty Golightly BScPharm, Marion Guenther RN MAL, Scott A. Halperin BS MD, Lyndsay Howitt RN MPH, Christina Jensen RN MSc, Sabrina Kolker MD MSc, Erin Kryschuk RN, Ripudaman Minhas MD MPH, Melanie Noel PhD, Rebecca Pillai Riddell PhD, Janet Probst RN BScN, Michael J. Rieder MD PhD, Kathleen Ross MD MSc, Sarah Siamaki RN, Elizabeth Uleryk MLS
CMAJ 2026 September 21;198:E1243-63. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.260123
Improving experiences during mass vaccinations
To cite this article: Victoria Gudzak, Charlotte Logeman, Natalie Crown, Anthony N. T. Ilersich, Mike Folinas, C. Meghan McMurtry, Lucie M. Bucci, Christine Shea, Vibhuti Shah, Heather Boon, Joel Katz, Lisa Dolovich & Anna Taddio (2025) Using the CARD system for university-based pop-up vaccination clinics: A two-stage hybrid effectiveness-implementation study, Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics, 21:1, 2509484, DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2025.2509484
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/21645515.2025.2509484
Improving school vaccine uptake
To cite this article: Anna Taddio, Karen Mulvey, Victoria Gudzak, Lucie M. Bucci, Charlotte Logeman, C. Meghan McMurtry, Lise Trotz-Williams & Noni E. MacDonald (2025) Effect of CARD (Comfort-Ask-Relax-Distract) on acceptance of school-based vaccinations: A controlled before and after study, Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics, 21:1, 2516180, DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2025.2516180
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/21645515.2025.2516180
Community pharmacy vaccinations made more comfortable
To cite this article: Anna Taddio, James Morrison, Charlotte Logeman, Victoria Gudzak, Lucie M. Bucci, C. Meghan McMurtry, Molly Yang, Mike Folinas, Rahim Moineddin & Noni E. MacDonald (2025) CARD (Comfort Ask Relax Distract) and community pharmacy vaccinations: Evaluation of effectiveness outcomes from a cluster randomized trial, Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics, 21:1, 2488064, DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2025.2488064
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/21645515.2025.2488064
Exposure-based Interventions for the management of individuals with high levels of needle fear across the lifespan:
Needle fear typically begins in childhood and represents an important health-related issue across the lifespan. Individuals who are highly fearful of needles frequently avoid health care.