{
  "id": 8835627,
  "title": "Guideline to reduce vaccination distress offers menu of options",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/21/guideline-to-reduce-vaccination-distress-offers-menu-of-options",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-09-21T04:00:04.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Medical Xpress",
    "slug": "medical-xpress",
    "url": "https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-guideline-vaccination-distress-menu-options.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A new guideline, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, aims to reduce distress experienced by patients during vaccinations. The 2026 clinical practice guideline update builds upon the 2015 Help Eliminate Pain in Kids & Adults (HELPinKids&Adults) Collaborative recommendations, providing evidence-based strategies to improve the vaccination experience. Common negative effects of vaccines include fear and pain, which are prevalent among both adults and children, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic.\n\nDr. Anna Taddio, a senior author and researcher at the University of Toronto and The Hospital for Sick Children, emphasizes that these strategies are not routinely incorporated into vaccination programs or practices. The updated guideline presents a 5P framework, consisting of process, procedural, physical, pharmacologic, and psychological interventions, to help clinicians, organizations, and individuals minimize distress during vaccinations.\n\nThe guideline suggests utilizing an evidence-based tool called the CARD system, which stands for Comfort, Ask, Relax, and Distract. This tool, developed by several authors, offers practical strategies for individuals and caregivers to select coping mechanisms before or during the vaccination process. These options include education, rapid injections, feeding or sweet solutions for infants, topical anesthetics, and age-appropriate distractions, among others. The guideline encourages patients and their caregivers to choose the most effective coping strategy for their specific needs. By implementing these individualized interventions, the goal is to make vaccination a more positive experience, reduce fear, and ultimately increase confidence in vaccines.",
  "summary": "A comprehensive guideline update with 16 recommendations to reduce vaccination distress, with suggestions ranging from applying topical pain relief to distractions, has been published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal",
  "key_points": [
    "2026 guideline aims to reduce vaccination distress for patients",
    "5P framework includes process, procedural, physical, pharmacologic, and psychological interventions",
    "CARD system offers comfort, ask, relax, and distract strategies for coping during vaccinations"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The new guideline shifts vaccination practices by offering a range of evidence-based strategies that put patients and caregivers in control of minimizing distress, potentially increasing confidence in vaccines.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}