Name
Bee-ing Brave and Taking Out the Sting – Use of Buzzy Bee and Other Non-Pharmacological Pain Management Strategies for Vaccines in Pediatric Primary Care
Description

This session will highlight the role of behavioral health consultants as part of a multidisciplinary team in addressing vaccine-related distress among children and adolescents. Attendees will learn about best practices in vaccine administration for pediatric patients experiencing internalizing or externalizing symptoms related to the need for a vaccination. This session will highlight evidence-based brief interventions for BHCs in a pediatric primary care setting. We will also share about recent introduction of Buzzy Bee in our clinic, a FDA approved non-pharmacological pain management device used during vaccinations. Preliminary findings of Buzzy Bee versus a standardized brief behavioral health intervention will be shared in terms of group differences on variables such as anxiety, pain, and overall patient satisfaction.

Speakers
Morgan Treaster, PhD
Matthew Tolliver, PhD
Kristen Riem, PhD
Co-Authors
Aubrey Dueweke, PhD; Debra Mills, MD; Jessica Jones, MD; Alex Banuelos-Bautista, MA; Brandi Austin, CMA
Content Level
All Audience
Tags
Medical, Pediatrics, Primary Care Behavioral Health Model
Session Type
Concurrent
Objective 1
Illustrate the role of multidisciplinary team in supporting children and families with routine vaccinations in a primary care setting.
Objective 2
Describe at least three evidence-based, non-pharmacological interventions for pediatric patients experiencing distress related to vaccinations.
Objective 3
Share preliminary findings of group differences in anxiety and pain for children receiving brief intervention of Buzzy Bee versus a standardized behavioral health intervention by a behavioral health consultant.
Content Reference 1

Doyle, R., Donaldson, A., Philips, L., Nelson, L., Clark, J. E., & Wen, S. C. (2022). The impact of a multidisciplinary care package for vaccination in needle phobic children: An observational study. Journal of Pediatrics and Child Health, 58(7), 1174–1180. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpc.15928

Content Reference 2

Healy, P., Lu, C., Silk, J. S., Lindhiem, O., Harper, R., Viswanathan, A., & Babichenko, D. (2023). An exposure-based video game (Dr. Zoo) to reduce needle phobia in children aged 3 to 6 years: Development and mixed methods pilot study. JMIR Serious Games, 11, e42025. https://doi.org/10.2196/42025

Content Reference 3

Jin, F., Wang, X., Qi, M., Zhang, W., & Zhang, Y. (2024). Effectiveness and safety of Buzzy device in needle-related procedures for children under twelve years of age: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Medicine, 103(15), e37522. https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000037522

Content Reference 4

Taddio, A., Morrison, J., Gudzak, V., Logeman, C., McMurtry, C. M., Bucci, L. M., Shea, C., MacDonald, N. E., & Yang, M. (2022). Integration of CARD (Comfort Ask Relax Distract) for COVID-19 community pharmacy vaccination in children: Effect on implementation outcomes. Canadian Pharmacists Journal, 156(Suppl 1), 36S–47S. https://doi.org/10.1177/17151635221139783

Content Reference 5

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2026, Jan 5). CDC acts on presidential memorandum to update childhood immunization schedule. CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2026/2026-cdc-acts-on-presidential-memorandum-to-update-childhood-immunization-schedule.html