How Well Do You Know Vaccine Administration? – Interactive Quiz

February 12, 2020

Administering Vaccines

I am commonly asked questions about administering different vaccines.  Vaccine administration is covered well in the following resources:

I would strongly encourage every healthcare professional to review the Shoulder Injury Related to Vaccine Administration (SIRVA) tools from Pharmacy5in5 from the University of Waterloo.  They are really good:

I developed a quiz on some of the key issues regarding vaccine administration.  I hope you find it useful.

Vaccine Administration Quiz (17 T/F Questions)

1. The maximum amount of vaccines a patient can receive is 2.

2. When injecting a vaccine it is important to avoid areas of bruises, scars or inflammation

3. Aspirating is recommended as it can ensure a large blood vessel hasn't been hit.

4. The recommended needle gauge for an adolescent (> 12 years) and adult is 22 to 25.

5. The recommended needle length for IM vaccines varies based on patient weight and gender.

6. Approximately 25% of adults have needle fears and 10% have needle phobias, defined as a marked and persistent fear that is excessive or unreasonable, cued by the presence of needles or anticipation of vaccination

7. Administering acetaminophen should be administered prior to vaccine administration to reduce pain and fever.

8. Administering acetaminophen prior to a vaccine can reduce febrile seizures in children.

9. An easy way to have the patient to expose the deltoid muscle is to put both hands on their thighs.

10. The target area in the deltoid for adults is 2 cms below the acromion.

11. If there is a specific concern regarding a possible vaccine reaction the patient should be observed for 30 minutes instead of the usual 15 minutes.

12. Clinicians are strongly encouraged to inject the most painful vaccine last

13. Ametop(TM) gel (4% tetracaine) should be applied 30-45 minutes before immunization

14. If a patient faints after vaccine administration, 911 should be called.

15. Shingrix(R), Prevnar(R) and an influenza vaccine can all be administered on the same day.

16. Preloading vaccines is strongly discouraged due to issues with vaccine stability, risk of contamination, vaccine administration errors and vaccine wastage.

17. Breastfeeding during vaccine administration or giving sweet-tasting solution such as sucrose or glucose solution 1 or 2 minutes before vaccine injection can reduce pain.


 

References

BC Centre for Disease Control. “Immunization Manual.” Accessed February 11, 2020. http://www.bccdc.ca/health-professionals/clinical-resources/communicable-disease-control-manual/immunization.
Public Health Agency of Canada Government of Canada. Vaccine Administration Practices – Part 1 – General Guidelines – Canadian Immunization Guide. https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/healthy-living/canadian-immunization-guide-part-1-key-immunization-information/page-8-vaccine-administration-practices.html. Accessed February 11, 2020.