Painful and stressful procedures and analgesia in newborns from the viewpoint of professionals

Abstract

Objective: To identify the procedures considered painful and stressful by health professionals from a neonatal intensive care unit and check the measures of analgesia. Method: Descriptive exploratory quantitative study with 65 health professionals, from November 2016 to February 2017. Results: The procedures considered painful were removal of adhesives, vein, arterial and lumbar puncture, phlebotomy, and thoracic drainage. Oral suctioning, intravenous catheter removal and tracheal extubation were considered stressful. Fentanyl was the most cited pharmacological measure, and restraint and nonnutritive suction were the most used nonpharmacological measures. Conclusion: Professionals were able to classify the painful and stressful procedures; however, low use of measures for analgesia was evidenced.