Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 18, 2026

Electrophysiological Measurements and Analysis of Nociception in Human Infants
09:18

Electrophysiological Measurements and Analysis of Nociception in Human Infants

Published on: December 20, 2011

Pain management in newborns: how far have we progressed in research and practice?

B Stevens1

  • 1Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Birth (Berkeley, Calif.)
|December 1, 1996
PubMed

Insights

Newborn infants can feel pain, but it's often undertreated due to gaps in knowledge. This review covers recent research on newborn pain management, offering practice and research implications.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal care
  • Pain management
  • Infant health

Background:

  • Newborn infants possess the capacity for pain.
  • Pain in newborns is frequently underestimated and undertreated.
  • Limited understanding exists regarding pain pathway development, consequences, measurement, and interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review recent research on pain management in newborns.
  • To identify implications for clinical practice.
  • To suggest directions for future research.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of recent research on newborn pain.
  • Synthesis of findings related to pain management strategies.
  • Analysis of implications for clinical practice and research.

Main Results:

  • Evidence confirms newborn pain capacity.
  • Identified gaps in understanding pain pathways and consequences.
  • Highlighted challenges in pain measurement and intervention efficacy.

Conclusions:

  • Improved understanding of newborn pain is crucial.
  • Enhanced pain management strategies are needed for infants.
  • Further research is recommended to address knowledge gaps.

More Related Videos

Electrophysiological Measurement of Noxious-evoked Brain Activity in Neonates Using a Flat-tip Probe Coupled to Electroencephalography06:29

Electrophysiological Measurement of Noxious-evoked Brain Activity in Neonates Using a Flat-tip Probe Coupled to Electroencephalography

Published on: November 29, 2017

A Preterm Rat Model for Pain Studies01:37

A Preterm Rat Model for Pain Studies

Published on: February 9, 2024

Related Concept Videos

Local Anesthetics: Clinical Application as Epidural Anesthesia01:29

Local Anesthetics: Clinical Application as Epidural Anesthesia

Epidural anesthetics are administered in the fat-filled epidural space, the outermost part of the spinal canal. This technique is commonly employed for pain management and anesthesia during lower abdomen and pelvis surgeries or labor and delivery.
Since epidural anesthetics can be infused through an epidural catheter, all types of drugs, including short-acting ones, can be administered. Chloroprocaine and lidocaine are examples of short and long-duration anesthetics, respectively. Bupivacaine...
Analgesia and Pain Management01:25

Analgesia and Pain Management

Pain is critical to various clinical pathologies, provoking an urgent need for effective management. Pain, whether acute or chronic, is a complex neurochemical process. Its alleviation depends on the type, with nonopioid analgesics effective for mild to moderate pain, such as musculoskeletal or inflammatory pain, while neuropathic pain responds best to anticonvulsants, tricyclic antidepressants, or serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors. For severe acute or chronic pain, opioids may be...
Parenteral Anesthetics: Overview01:24

Parenteral Anesthetics: Overview

Intravenous anesthetics are drugs administered parenterally to induce anesthesia or sedation. Propofol is a widely used agent formulated as a 1% emulsion in soybean oil, glycerol, and egg phosphatide. It induces rapid anesthesia primarily due to its rapid distribution from the bloodstream to target tissues and is metabolized in the liver. However, it can cause significant pain on injection and hypertriglyceridemia. Fospropofol, a water-based prodrug of propofol, lacks these adverse effects.