The effect of postpartum skin-to-skin contact on the pain of the first intramuscular injection to the Newborn: A randomized controlled trial

Abstract

BackgroundNewborns are exposed to painful interventions during medical procedures. AimThis study was conducted to evaluate the effect of postpartum skin-to-skin contact (SSC) on the pain of the first intramuscular (IM) injection in the newborn. DesignA randomized controlled trial with four measurement points (5 min following pre-intervention, pre-injection and post-injection, 10 min following post-injection). ParticipantsTerm newborns delivered vaginally. MethodThe women were randomly divided into control (n = 30) and experimental (n = 30) groups. SSC was performed to the experimental group 5 min before and after injection while the control group did not receive SSC. The pain response of newborns was evaluated by Neonatal Infant Pain Scale (NIPS), crying time, oxygen saturation (SpO2) and heart rate (HR). ResultsPre- and post-injection NIPS scores of the newborns in the experimental group were significantly lower than the control group (p < 0.01). The crying time of the newborns in the experimental group at 5 min after the injection was found to be significantly lower than the control group (p < 0.01). The newborns in the experimental group had significantly higher SpO2 at 5 min before and after the injection compared to the control group (p < 0.05). The mean HR of the newborns in the experimental group at 5 min before and after, and at 10 min after the injection was found to be significantly lower than that of the control group (p < 0.05). ConclusionIt has been determined that performing SSC to newborns is an effective method in reducing the pain of the first IM injection.