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Effect of White Noise in Relieving Vaccination Pain in Premature Infants
Sibel Kucukoglu1, Aynur Aytekin1, Ayda Celebioglu1
1Department of Child Health Nursing, Faculty of Health Science, Ataturk University, Erzurum, Turkey.
Insights
White noise significantly reduced vaccination pain in premature infants. This method offers a non-pharmacological approach to manage procedural pain in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care
- Pediatric pain management
- Auditory stimulation
Background:
- Procedural pain in premature infants is a significant concern in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs).
- Effective pain management strategies are crucial for the well-being of vulnerable preterm infants.
- Non-pharmacological interventions are sought to complement existing pain relief methods.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of white noise as a distraction technique for reducing procedural pain during vaccination in premature infants.
- To compare pain levels in premature infants exposed to white noise versus a control group.
Main Methods:
- An experimental study conducted in a Turkish university hospital's NICU.
- 75 premature infants were divided into a study group (white noise) and a control group (no white noise).
- White noise was administered via MP3 players for 1 minute before and 1 minute after vaccination; pain was assessed using the Premature Infant Pain Profile (PIPP).
Main Results:
- The study group exposed to white noise exhibited significantly lower pain scores (PIPP = 8.14 ± 3.14) compared to the control group (PIPP = 14.35 ± 2.59).
- In the white noise group, 67.6% experienced moderate pain and only 2.9% severe pain.
- Conversely, 82.5% of the control group infants experienced severe pain during vaccination.
Conclusions:
- White noise is an effective non-pharmacological intervention for alleviating procedural pain in premature infants during vaccination.
- Further extensive research is warranted to explore the full potential and application of white noise in this vulnerable population.
- The findings support the use of auditory distraction as a viable pain management strategy in neonatal care.
Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of white noise as a distraction method in relieving procedural pain caused by vaccination for premature infants. This experimental study was performed at a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of a university hospital in Turkey between July and September 2013. The study population was composed of 75 premature infants (35 in the study group and 40 in the control group) who met the inclusion criteria. Premature infants in the study group were exposed to white noise using MP3 players placed at the head of the infants' open crib for 1 minute before vaccination. The white noise continued until 1 minute after vaccination. Premature infants in the control group were not exposed to white noise. The Premature Infant Information Form, Intervention Follow-up Form, and Premature Infant Pain Profile (PIPP) were used to collect study data. Descriptive statistics, chi-square test, and independent sample t-tests were used to evaluate the data. The pain level of the control group (PIPP = 14.35 ± 2.59) was significantly higher than the pain level of the study group (PIPP = 8.14 ± 3.14) (p < .05). The authors found that 67.6% of the infants in the study group had moderate pain during vaccination and only 2.9% had severe pain. Most of the infants in the control group (82.5%) had severe pain, whereas 17.5% had moderate pain (p < .05). White noise was found to be effective for this sample; however, there is a dire need for extensive research on white noise and its use with this vulnerable population.
