Oral Glucose and Listening to Lullaby to Decrease Pain in Preterm Infants Supported with NCPAP: A Randomized...

Area of Science:

• Neonatal care
• Pain management in infants
• Evidence-based practice

Background:

• Preterm infants in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) experience significant pain from routine procedures.
• Nonpharmacologic interventions are crucial for managing procedural pain in neonates.
• Effective pain reduction strategies are needed to improve infant well-being in the NICU.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of oral glucose and lullabies in reducing pain during tracheal tube manipulation and suctioning in preterm infants.
• To compare the pain responses of preterm infants receiving oral glucose or lullabies versus standard care.
• To assess the impact of these nonpharmacologic interventions on pain scores in a neonatal intensive care unit setting.

Main Methods:

• A double-blind, randomized controlled trial involving 106 preterm infants.
• Infants were allocated to three groups: control, oral glucose, or lullaby intervention.
• Pain was assessed using the Neonatal Infant Pain Scale and Premature Infant Pain Profile.

Main Results:

• Preterm infants in the oral glucose and lullaby groups exhibited significantly lower pain scores compared to the control group (p < .05).
• Both interventions demonstrated effectiveness in mitigating pain responses during the studied procedures.
• The findings highlight the potential of nonpharmacologic methods in neonatal pain management.

Conclusions:

• Oral glucose and lullabies are effective nonpharmacologic interventions for reducing procedural pain in preterm infants.
• These methods can be safely implemented in the neonatal intensive care unit to enhance infant comfort.
• Further research is warranted to explore the application of these interventions in other painful procedures for infants.