Management of painful procedures in the newborn

Management of painful procedures in the neonate is less than optimal. Although evidence exists to support the infant's capacity to feel pain at birth, health professionals do not prescribe or administer adequate analgesia. This is largely because of the lack of published data on the safety and efficacy of pharmacologic interventions and lack of sufficient understanding of the benefits of nonpharmacologic measures. In this review, recent research on the safety and efficacy of pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic interventions for managing painful procedures in the neonate is summarized.