Assessment and management of pain in newborns hospitalized in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: a cross-sectional study

Pain during the neonatal period may result in physiological, behavioral and neurological alterations. Literature still shows lack of knowledge regarding the assessment and management of pain and also the available analgesics are not sufficient for the treatment during this period. Therefore, results of this cross-sectional study revealed that the newborns are usually exposed to pain and the deficiency of pharmacological or non-pharmacological interventions toughen the undertreatment of this condition.  

To evaluate the incidence of pain, to confirm the criteria approved for pain alleviation through the first seven days of hospitalization and to recognise the prevalence and type of invasive methods to which newborns are submitted.

A total of 177 hospitalizations out of 188 selected for the analysis. Charts were utilised to collect the associated information and Neonatal Infant Pain Scale along with nursing notes suggestions of pain were used to determine the presence of pain. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences was employed to perform statistical analysis.

According to the nursing note or pain scale adopted, there was at least one report of pain in 50.3% of the hospitalizations. The newborns went through a mean of 6.6 invasive methods per day. Only 32.5% of the pain reports appeared in the selection of pharmacological or non-pharmacological approaches to alleviate pain.

Newborns are commonly exposed to pain, and pharmacological or non-pharmacological approaches with the low frequency strengthen the undertreatment of this situation.