Prevention and treatment of pain in the neonatal intensive care unit

Abstract

Healing pain as well as preventing it is an indisputable right of every human being. Activities connected with/ related to medical care in the neonatal intensive care unit may be the source of pain. The aim of the study was to characterize the problem of pain in terms of patients of neonatal intensive care units. The work describes not only the perception of neonatal pain but also preventing and therapeutic actions, including pharmacological and non-pharmacological strategies. The last one can be used widely in the daily work of nursing/midwifery staff with neonatal intensive care unit (OITN) patients and their care providers. The study analyzed national and foreign literature on pain therapy in cases of patients of neonatal intensive care units. The available bibliographic databases include Medline, Scopus, PubMed and Google Scholar. The following keywords were used as search criteria: “pain”, “newborn baby”, “neonatal intensive care unit “‘nurse”, “midwives”.