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Pain Management with ROP Position in Turkish Preterm Infants During Eye Examinations: A Randomized Controlled Trial
1The Turkısh Republıc of Demiroglu Bilim University, Faculty of Health Scıences, İstanbul, Turkey.
Insights
Infant positioning with ROP position plus a pacifier significantly reduced pain and crying time in preterm infants during eye exams. This non-pharmacological method also favorably impacted heart rate, offering a practical approach for neonatal nurses.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care
- Pediatric nursing
- Clinical research
Background:
- Neonatal eye examinations can be stressful for preterm infants.
- Minimizing pain and distress during procedures is crucial for infant well-being.
- Non-pharmacological interventions are sought to manage procedural pain in neonates.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of a specific infant positioning technique (ROP position) combined with a pacifier on pain, heart rate, oxygen saturation, and crying duration during eye examinations in preterm infants.
- To compare the effectiveness of ROP position plus pacifier versus pacifier alone in mitigating procedural pain and physiological distress.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled experimental study involving 70 preterm infants.
- Infants were assigned to either the experimental group (ROP position + pacifier) or the control group (pacifier only).
- Pain scores (Premature Infant Pain Profile-PIPP), heart rate, oxygen saturation, and crying duration were measured before, during, and after the eye examination.
Main Results:
- The experimental group demonstrated significantly lower pain scores at all measurement points (p < 0.01).
- Higher heart rates were observed in the control group during and after the examination (p < 0.010).
- Crying duration was significantly reduced in the experimental group (p = 0.010), while oxygen saturation showed no significant difference between groups.
Conclusions:
- Infant positioning using the ROP position effectively reduces pain and crying time during eye examinations.
- This non-pharmacological method positively influences physiological parameters in preterm infants.
- ROP position is a practical and effective intervention for neonatal nurses to implement during eye examinations.
Purpose:
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of infant positioning on pain, heart rate, oxygen saturation and crying time during examination.
Design & Methods:
The randomized controlled experimental study was carried out on 70 preterm infants. ROP position + pacifier was used in the experimental group (n = 35) while only the pacifier was used in the control group. Heart rates, oxygen saturation, crying duration and pain score (Premature Infant Pain Profile-PIPP) were evaluated before, during and after the screening.
Results:
The preterm infants in the experimental group recorded lower pain scores at the beginning of the screening (p = 0.01), at the end of the screening (p = 0.01) and after screening (p = 0.01) than those in the control group. The heart rate was higher in the control group during screening (p = 0.010) and after screening (p = 0.008) than in the preterm infants in the experimental group. Oxygen saturation was not significantly different between the groups before, during or after screening. Crying duration was lower in the experimental group than in the control group (p = 0.010).
Conclusions:
Positioning of the infant to support behavioral organization was found to be effective in reducing pain and shortening crying time during eye examination, and had favorable effects on physiological variables with ROP position during eye examinations.
Practice Implications:
ROP position is a practical and effective non-pharmacological method during eye examinations by neonatal nurses.
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