Evidence-Based Recommendations for Reducing Pediatric Distress During Vaccination

Vaccinations are often associated with anxiety, avoidance, and considerable distress for children and parents. These issues can also impair coping during future health care visits. Parents, children, and clinicians can benefit from strategies designed to enhance coping. However, an important barrier to implementation of coping strategy interventions is lack of knowledge among both parents and staff. We produced two sets of tailored handouts designed to enhance education for primary care staff and parents using 41 clinical guidelines, reviews, and randomized controlled trials. Articles were selected from vaccine-specific literature by relevance and practicality for primary care. Handouts provide suggestions for parent and staff interventions before, during, and after vaccinations, focusing on techniques that are effective, cost-efficient, and adaptable. For children of all ages, tailored adult vocabulary and tone can also support coping.