ABSTRACT
Objective:
to describe potentially painful procedures performed in neonates and their relation with pain relief strategies.
Method:
a longitudinal correlational study, conducted from October to December 2014, with 50 neonates admitted to neonatal units of a public maternity hospital in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais (Brazil). Procedures were analyzed in the first two weeks of life of neonates admitted with up to three hours of life and born at the maternity hospital in which the study was conducted. Data was submitted to descriptive, comparative and correlational analyses using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software, adopting a significance level of 5%.
Results:
most newborns were male (n=32; 64%), premature (n=34; 69.4%) and hospitalized for having respiratory disorders (n=45; 91.8%). A total of 894 painful and of 2883 potentially painful procedures related to daily care were recorded. Non-pharmacological pain relief strategies were used in 49 (98%) neonates, while pharmacological strategies were used in nine (18%). Correlational analyses revealed the difficulty of drug treatment management and the underuse of non-pharmacological strategies as adjuvant to severe pain procedures.
Conclusion:
neonates underwent many potentially painful procedures, and it was found that pain relief methods are underused and that training on pain assessment and treatment is necessary in order to make these practices part of the care process.
DESCRIPTORS:
Neonatology; Pain management; Acute pain; Newborn; Neonatal nursing; Physiological stress