To Look or Not to Look at the Needle During Vaccination
To Look or Not to Look at the Needle During Vaccination
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.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Toronto's Leslie Dan Faculty
 of Pharmacy undergoing flu vaccination

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  less than 18 years of age or prior participation in the trial