Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 4, 2026

Preparation and Using Phantom Lesions to Practice Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsies
Published on: September 29, 2009
Far From "Just a Poke": Common Painful Needle Procedures and the Development of Needle Fear
C Meghan McMurtry1, Rebecca Pillai Riddell, Anna Taddio
1*Department of Psychology, University of Guelph, Guelph †Children's Health Research Institute ‡Department of Paediatrics, Western University, London §Department of Psychology, York University ∥The Hospital for Sick Children ¶Department of Psychiatry #Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy ¶¶Health Policy Management and Evaluation, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto ∥∥Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, ON **Department of Psychology, University of Regina, Regina, SK ‡‡Departments of Pediatrics, Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University §§Centre for Pediatric Pain Research, IWK Health Centre, Halifax, NS, Canada ††Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, AB, Canada.
Background:
Vaccine injections are the most common painful needle procedure experienced throughout the lifespan. Many strategies are available to mitigate this pain; however, they are uncommonly utilized, leading to unnecessary pain and suffering. Some individuals develop a high level of fear and subsequent needle procedures are associated with significant distress.
Objective:
The present work is part of an update and expansion of a 2009 knowledge synthesis to include the management of vaccine-related pain across the lifespan and the treatment of individuals with high levels of needle fear. This article will provide a conceptual foundation for understanding: (a) painful procedures and their role in the development and maintenance of high levels of fear; (b) treatment strategies for preventing or reducing the experience of pain and the development of fear; and (c) interventions for mitigating high levels of fear once they are established.
Results:
First, the general definitions, lifespan development and functionality, needle procedure-related considerations, and assessment of the following constructs are provided: pain, fear, anxiety, phobia, distress, and vasovagal syncope. Second, the importance of unmitigated pain from needle procedures is highlighted from a developmental perspective. Third, the prevalence, course, etiology, and consequences of high levels of needle fear are described. Finally, the management of needle-related pain and fear are outlined to provide an introduction to the series of systematic reviews in this issue.
Discussion:
Through the body of work in this supplement, the authors aim to provide guidance in how to treat vaccination-related pain and its sequelae, including high levels of needle fear.
Related Concept Videos
Preparedness and Phobias
Blood and Nerve Supply to the Bones
Nutrient Artery
The nutrient artery is the main blood vessel that enters the diaphysis via the nutrient foramen. While most long bones have only one nutrient foramen, large bones, such as the femur, may have two. This...
Nociception
Endoscopic Studies II: Thoracocentesis
Description
Excess pleural fluid or air may accumulate in some respiratory disorders in the thoracic cavity. To treat pleural effusion, a physician conducts thoracentesis by carefully piercing the chest wall and entering...
Pain
Cardiac Catheterization I: Pre-Procedure Overview

