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Pain management in Swedish neonatal units--a national survey
1Department of Paediatrics, Orebro University Hospital, Orebro, Sweden. mats.eriksson@orebroll.se
Aim:
The aim of this study was to investigate the degree to which Swedish neonatal units have adopted the national guidelines for prevention and treatment of pain in newborn infants.
Method:
A survey was sent to all units in Sweden that provide neonatal care. For a list of potentially painful procedures, compiled from the national neonatal pain guidelines, the units were asked if they would use pharmacological and/or behavioural interventions, and in each case to specify the treatment.
Results:
The response rate was 80.4%. Eighty-eight percent of the units had written guidelines for pain management, and 59% of these had been updated within the last 2 years. For almost every presented case, all units reported that they used either pharmacological or behavioural treatment or both. The survey showed a wide variation in morphine and paracetamol dosing and the absence of a paracetamol loading dose in a fourth of the units.
Conclusions:
This study suggests that a majority of Swedish neonatal units have adopted pain management guidelines in concordance with the Swedish national guidelines, and kept them up-to-date. For most painful situations a variety of behavioural and pharmacological interventions are used, often in combination.
