Neonatal pain management: Influence of psychological and organizational factors

Focusing on preventing developmental risks, this study examined the factors influencing pain management in premature infants according to 84 health professionals in a neonatal unit. Environmental variables, such as organizational climate and diagnosis, and personal variables, such as stress, coping, and beliefs about prematurity and neonatal pain, were evaluated using seven instruments. Results showed that the participants associate prematurity with birth weight, recognize the importance of pain management (97%), but know little about pain measurement and evaluation (32%) and most of the 20 invasive procedures are performed without analgesia (70%). The major stressor identified was work environment, described as chaotic and requiring changes, but there was a balance between effort and reward in the perception of occupational stress, and coping was characterized by an effort to control the situation. The influence of organizational factors on the engagement-disengagement of these professionals in effective pain management practices to support interventions aimed at humanized neonatal care was discussed.

Keywords:
Organizational climate; Pain; Coping behavior; Stress; Premature birth; Health professionals