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[Translating evidence: pain treatment in newborns, infants, and toddlers during needle-related procedures : German
Denise Harrison1,2,3,4, Mariana Bueno5
1Department of Nursing, The University of Melbourne, Grattan St, Parkville, 3010, Melbourne, Victoria, Australien. deniseh@unimelb.edu.au.
Insights
Effective pain management strategies exist for newborns and young infants during needle procedures, including sweet solutions, breastfeeding, and skin-to-skin care. Translating this knowledge into practice is crucial for improving infant pain treatment.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pain Management
- Translational Science in Healthcare
- Neonatal and Infant Care
Context:
- Pain management in newborns, infants, and toddlers (up to 2 years) is often inadequate.
- Effective strategies for needle-related procedures are poorly implemented in clinical practice.
Purpose:
- To review evidence-based pain management strategies for neonates, infants, and toddlers undergoing needle-related procedures.
- To highlight initiatives for translating pain knowledge into clinical practice.
Summary:
- Effective strategies for newborns and young infants include sweet solutions, breastfeeding, skin-to-skin care, nonnutritive sucking, positioning, swaddling, and gentle touch.
- For toddlers, recommended strategies include comfort holding, distraction, and topical anesthetics, though evidence is less robust.
- Family involvement is essential for effective pain management, requiring support and empowerment.
Impact:
- Provides a review of effective pain management techniques for vulnerable young populations.
- Highlights the importance of knowledge translation initiatives to improve clinical implementation of pain relief strategies.
- Emphasizes the role of families in pediatric pain management during procedures.
Introduction:
Treatment of pain in preterm, sick, and healthy newborns and infants and toddlers (up to 2 years of age) is consistently reported to be inadequate, and effective strategies are poorly implemented.
Objectives:
To present existing evidence of effective pain treatment strategies during needle-related procedures and to highlight initiatives focused on translating evidence into practice.
Methods:
This Clinical Update focuses on the 2022 International Association for the Study of Pain Global Year for Translating Pain Knowledge to Practice in the specific population of newborns, infants, and toddlers. Best evidence is reviewed, and existing knowledge translation strategies and programs available to implement evidence into practice are presented.
Results:
Effective strategies for newborn and young infants during frequently occurring needle procedures include small volumes of sweet solutions, breastfeeding, or skin-to-skin care when feasible and culturally acceptable. In addition, strategies such as nonnutritive sucking, positioning, swaddling, gentle touch, facilitated tucking, and secure holding can be used. For toddlers, the evidence is less robust, and discerning between pain and distress is challenging. However, strategies recommended for needlerelated procedures include upright secure comfort holding by parents/caregivers, age-appropriate distraction, and topical anesthetics. Translation of effective pain management needs to involve the family, who need to be supported and empowered to comfort their child during painful procedures. Organizational, nationwide, and global initiatives aimed at improving implementation of effective pain treatments exist.
Conclusion:
There is evidence of effective pain management strategies for newborns, infants, and toddlers, and a great deal of effort is being made to translate knowledge into action.
