Differences in Neonatologist and Nurse Perceptions of Procedural Pain Intensity and Management

Pain assessment by the healthcare professional is essential in caring for newborns. However, it is unclear whether there is a difference in the assessment or pain management between different healthcare provider groups.

In this study, we determined whether there is a difference in perceived neonatal procedural pain between physicians and nurses working at the same facility who care for the same patients. Furthermore, we assessed perceived compliance of healthcare providers with the Japanese guidelines for neonatal pain management.

We performed a cross-sectional survey using a questionnaire sent to hospitals in Japan with neonatal intensive care units. The questionnaire included responses from both physicians and nurses.

For most procedures, nurses' perceptions of the degree of pain in newborns were higher than that of physicians. Thus, nurses were more likely to believe that newborns perceived more pain. For 5 of the 19 guideline recommendations, more than 80% of the hospitals reported that both physicians and nurses implement pain management, although there were some items on which physicians and nurses had divergent opinions.

Our findings suggest that current pain management differs among healthcare professionals, including pain assessment and the actual pain management provided in the hospital wards. Establishing cooperation and having sufficient communication among the different healthcare professionals are required to improve care for newborn patients.