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Parental concern and distress about infant pain
1Centre for Nursing and Allied Health Professions Research, Institute of Child Health, London WC1N 3EH, UK. lfranck@ich.ucl.ac.uk
Archives of Disease in Childhood. Fetal and Neonatal Edition
|January 9, 2004
Summary
Parents reported their infants experienced more pain than expected and had unmet information needs regarding infant pain care. Parental stress was linked to pain concerns and dissatisfaction with pain information received.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care
- Pediatric pain management
- Parental stress and anxiety
Background:
- Infant pain management is crucial in neonatal units.
- Parental involvement and understanding significantly impact care.
- Parental stress is a common issue in neonatal intensive care units.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe parental views on infant pain care.
- To explore the relationship between infant pain care experiences and parental stress.
Main Methods:
- A descriptive, cross-sectional survey was conducted.
- Parents (n=257) from UK and US neonatal units participated.
- Questionnaires assessed parent concerns about infant pain and parental stress.
Main Results:
- Parents perceived infant pain as more severe than anticipated.
- Few parents received written information on infant pain management.
- Parental stress was predicted by pain severity estimation, pain worries, and dissatisfaction with pain information.
Conclusions:
- Parents have significant unmet information needs regarding infant pain.
- Increased parental involvement in infant pain care is desired.
- Concerns about infant pain can exacerbate parental stress.