The effectiveness of non-pharmacological pain management in reducing pain from heel stick blood sampling in newborns

Abstract

Objectives To determine the effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions to relieve pain associated with heel stick for blood sampling in newborns. Criteria for considering studies for this review Types of participants: Term or preterm neonates both male and female undergoing heel stick during the neonatal period (with postnatal age maximum of 28 days after reaching 40 weeks corrected gestational age) Types of interventions: Any non-pharmacological interventions intended to relieve pain during heel stick, for example, swaddling, positioning, holding, touching, rocking, breast feeding, and oral sucrose/glucose. Types of outcome measures: The outcome measures will be pain or behaviors as assessed by 1. Physiological variables, such as heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, or blood pressure, 2. Behavioral variables, such as grimacing, facial expression of pain, or arousal state, 3. Crying measurements, for example, crying time, recovery time, or percentage of time crying 4. Pain scores as measured by: - Neonatal Infant Pain Score - Neonatal Facial Action Coding System - Premature Infant Pain Profile - Other pain measures. Each variable will be treated as a separate outcome measure for analysis.