Using non-nutritive sucking and oral glucose solution with neonates to relieve pain: a randomised controlled trial

To compare the efficacies of non-nutritive sucking and glucose solution as pain-relief interventions for neonates undergoing a venipuncture procedure.

Neonates may be subjected to painful procedures. The individual efficacies of non-nutritive sucking or oral glucose solution used alone on pain-relief for neonates still remain controversial.

A randomised, parallel-group controlled trial was designed.

A total of 105 neonates were randomly assigned to one of the three groups: non-nutritive sucking, glucose solution, or control group. When a neonate underwent a venipuncture during a newborn screening test, his/her pain manifestations were videotaped and subsequently measured using the Neonatal Infant Pain Scale. Both the stability analysis and the analysis of repeated relationships were performed by generalised estimating equations.

The level of pain was regressed over the study variables (time and group) and covariate (gestational age). Both the non-nutritive sucking and glucose solution groups had significantly lower pain scores than the control group during the venipuncture and recovery phases. Furthermore, non-nutritive sucking seemed to be more effective than glucose solution.

Nurses can use a pain assessment tool and the pain-relief intervention to improve the quality of neonatal care in clinical practice. This study indicates that either non-nutritive sucking or glucose solution can effectively decrease the level of pain.

If a painful procedure on neonates is inevitable, simple, convenient and effective pain-relief methods such as non-nutritive sucking or glucose solution can be provided alone. Based on a neonate's condition, nurses can provide 2 ml of 25% glucose solution through a syringe for a breastfeeding infant before an invasive procedure if nipple confusion is the concern.