Pain Management in Newborns

Abstract

There was a widespread misconception that newborns cannot feel or remember pain since their nervous systems are underdeveloped. However, a good deal of research has shown that newborns feel and remember the pain. The presence of pain is known as a major stress factor for newborns. The pain experienced by newborns negatively influences their feeding patterns, adaptation to the outside world, length of hospitalization, growth and interactions with their families. In addition to these, such experience causes physiological, behavioral and metabolic problems in newborns. The inability of newborns to verbally express their pain is one of the most important problems encountered in pain evaluation, and it imposes an important role on health professionals in pain assessment. In the evaluation of pain, pain scales appropriate for the development of the newborn should be used. The correct evaluation of the scale used in the assessment of pain by health professionals is essential. The aim of pain control is to reduce painful interventions, control the pain as early as possible and prevent the newborn from being exposed to chronic pain. Pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods are used in the pain management of newborns. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guidelines recommend the use of non-pharmacological methods to reduce pain from invasive procedures in newborns. Research has revealed that being cost-effective and easy-to-apply are the main reasons for nurses' preference for non-pharmacological methods. Additionally, their effectiveness increases when non-pharmacological methods are used together. It is recommended to expand the application of non-pharmacological methods, create standard pain assessment tools for nurses, and establish evidence-based guidelines for their use in pain management.