Prevention and non-pharmacological management of pain in newborns

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To describe the main non-pharmacological interventions for pain relief in newborns available in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. METHOD: An exploratory search of the MedLine, Lilacs and Scielo online databases was conducted to retrieve references of studies published from 2004 to 2013. RESULTS: Several non-pharmacological interventions were shown to be effective, to represent low risk for neonates and to have a low operational cost. The ones most often discussed in the literature were: oral administration of glucose/sucrose, non-nutritive sucking, breastfeeding, skin-to-skin contact, facilitated tucking and swaddling. CONCLUSION: Healthcare teams should be familiar with these methods and use them more effectively in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit daily routines, so as to ensure that newborns receive qualified and more human care.