It Doesn't Have to Hurt
It Doesn’t Have to Hurt is an evidence-informed and award-winning knowledge mobilization campaign that serves as SKIP’s uniting hashtag (#ItDoesntHaveToHurt) and public call to action.
Origin Story: A Science-Media Partnership
It Doesn’t Have To Hurt
It Doesn’t Have to Hurt first began as a YouTube video for parents, released in November 2013, in which a young girl shared what parents should and shouldn’t do to manage children’s pain from needles. This simple video sparked the idea for a larger initiative and grew into the It Doesn’t Have to Hurt science-media partnership, launched in 2015 by Dr. Christine Chambers’ research lab in partnership with Erica Ehm’s YummyMummyClub.ca (YMC), a popular digital platform connecting and empowering mothers, with funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the support of partners. It Doesn’t Have to Hurt was an innovative online campaign to mobilize children’s pain management evidence to parents through social media posts, blogs and articles, videos and more. The campaign reached millions of people worldwide and received global recognition through awards and media coverage.
SKIP Proudly Carries the Torch
It Doesn’t Have to Hurt revealed a clear need for more children’s pain solutions, and that’s how SKIP was born!
With funding from the Networks of Centres of Excellence, in 2019 we launched a national knowledge mobilization network to continue the critical work of sharing evidence-informed tools and resources to improve children’s pain, not just to parents, but to all those involved in making decisions about children’s pain management.
Today, It Doesn’t Have to Hurt (#ItDoesntHaveToHurt) is one of SKIP’s key drivers to raise awareness, amplify champions and build momentum to advance solutions for kids in pain.
Spread the Word!
We encourage everyone to use and follow the #ItDoesntHaveToHurt hashtag on all social media posts related to children’s pain solutions and successes. Together, we can continue to support patients, parents, health professionals, policy makers, and everyone who needs solutions for kids in pain!