Newborn pain: perceptions of a nursing team

Abstract

Results are presented of a quantitative-qualitative research conducted with nursing professionals working in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit seeking to assess the knowledge they have of the pain felt by the newborn. Data were collected using an open and closed-question questionnaire, in August, 2002. The analysis showed that all subjects were female, with the greatest percentage around 20-29 years of age. The category of professional highly represented is that of auxiliaries, a large number of them working for more than 3 years in the profession. Many of them believe newborns feel pain of an intensity equal to that of adults. The participants believe a baby cry to be the best parameter to identify the presence of pain in the newborn, and most of these professionals try to sooth them by means of touch and analgesics. Results point to a limited knowledge of the influence the environment has on pain. All of the subjects of the study believe the concern towards pain should be emphasized, and they point the technical procedures as what triggers the pain. They are able to recognize an already installed pain, but they are not sure about what else might be involved in determining pain, other than the technical procedures.