Pain Assessment and Management Practices via Education & Reinforcement (PAMPER): A Quality Improvement Initiative

To establish neonatal pain management practices as an essential developmental supportive measure at a tertiary care unit.

This quality improvement initiative was conducted as per Point-of-Care-Quality-Improvement Model over 6 mo, followed by 2 y of sustenance phase at a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in northern India. Infants of birth weight ≤1800 g were included and assessed for pain. Pain Assessment and Management Practices via Education and Reinforcement (PAMPER) group was created by resident doctors and nursing staff. The Premature Infant Pain Profile score was used for the assessment of pain. Limiting factors were analyzed using a fishbone diagram and interventions were done in multiple Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles.

At the end of interventions, 100% of procedures were assessed for pain. The mean (standard deviation) documented pain score for the first seven days was reduced from 12.8 (0.3) in the baseline phase to 7 (2.5). These interventions helped to sustain the practice in >70% of infants in the next 2 y.

Low-cost interventions improved the pain assessment and management policy of authors' NICU with the establishment of a standard protocol. Audits and reinforcement at regular intervals helped in its long-term sustenance.