It is common for people to advise individuals undergoing vaccination to look away from the needle to make them hurt less and be less scary. However, this advice is not backed up by research evidence. the purpose of this study is to learn about how looking away vs. looking at the needle during vaccination makes people feel. People will be randomized to 1 of 2 groups: look at the needle, look away. Then they will undergo vaccination and report on pain and fear experienced.
It is common for people to advise individuals undergoing vaccination to look away from the needle to make them hurt less and be less scary. However, this advice is not backed up by experimental research evidence. It is possible that looking away acts as a distraction and takes attention away from the needle, thus reducing pain. However, it is also possible that looking at the needle is better because it prevents people's imaginations from making them think it is worse than it actually is. To our knowledge, this is the first first randomized study to examine the effect of looking away vs. looking at the needle on pain and fear experienced during vaccinations. Adult university students undergoing routine flu vaccination will be included.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
160
Participant looks away from the needle during vaccination
Participant looks at the needle during vaccination
Anna Taddio
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
RECRUITINGPain
self-reported pain assessed after vaccination using a numerical rating scale (0-10)
Time frame: immediately after vaccination (<5 minutes)
Fear
self-reported fear assessed after vaccination using a numerical rating scale (0-10)
Time frame: immediately after vaccination (<5 minutes)
Recruitment rate
percentage of people eligible that participate
Time frame: before vaccination (1 day to 4 weeks)
Feasibility of recruitment of subjects in the 2 study strata (i.e., preference to look or not look)
percentage of individuals that prefer to look or not look at baseline
Time frame: immediately before vaccination (<5 minutes)
Duration of appointment
Amount of time taken for appointment as per clock
Time frame: immediately after vaccination
Attrition of participants
number of participants that are lost/drop-out of study
Time frame: immediately after vaccination
Preferences of participants
participant preferences about interventions according to questionnaire
Time frame: immediately after vaccination (<5 minutes)
Fidelity of intervention
Compliance with instruction to look at the needle or look away, according to checklist
This platform is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Time frame: During vaccination