J Korean Acad Child Health Nurs.  2010 Oct;16(4):352-359.

Pain Response to Procedural Pain in Premature Infants

• Kim JS
• Lee EJ
• Ham EH
• Kim JH
• Yi YH

Abstract

PURPOSE
To explore premature infants' pain response to routine procedures in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
METHODS
The participants were 56 preterm infants who showed 149 pain responses to 8 high frequency routine procedures which were evaluated using the Premature Infant Pain Scale (PIPS). Videotaped recording was used for data collection. Data were analyzed with descriptive analysis, paired t-test, and Pearson's correlation coefficient.
RESULTS
PIPS scores for each procedure were as follows; for removal of central catheter dressing, 6.17 (2.04), venous sampling, 6.12 (2.87), intramuscular injection, 6.05 (2.38), insertion of a peripheral line, 5.38 (2.16), insertion of feeding tube, 4.40 (1.34), heel stick, 4.33 (1.23), insertion of central line, 4.00 (2.12), and endotracheal suctioning, 2.90 (1.25). PIPS score was negatively correlated with gestational age (r=-.218, p=.007) and birth weight (r=-.249, p=.002) among general characteristics of the infants.
CONCLUSION
The majority of 8 routine procedures were found to be painful for premature infants in the NICU. Therefore, adequate pain management related to procedures should be provided to premature infant in the NICU.

Keyword

Premature infant; Pain measurement; Procedures

MeSH Terms

Bandages
Birth Weight
Catheters
Data Collection
Gestational Age
Heel
Humans
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Infant, Premature
Injections, Intramuscular
Intensive Care, Neonatal
Pain Management
Pain Measurement
Suction
Child Health