A GUIDE AND POSTER ON THE DRUG-FREE PAIN MANAGEMENT OF A NEWBORN INFANT FOR THE NURSING STAFF

Heikkilä, Merja Satakunnan ammattikorkeakoulu, Satakunta University of Applied Sciences Degree Programme in Nursing May 2015 Supervisor: Kanerva, Anne-Maria Number of pages:51 Appendices:3

Keywords: newborn infant, premature infant, analgesia, pain management ______________________________________________________________ The purpose of this thesis was to create a guide and poster for newborn infant drugfree pain management for the Satakunta Central Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit nursing staff. This work will increase nurses’ knowledge on evidence based drug free pain management methods and increase their uses. Evidence based nursing is based on best available research and will increase quality and effectiveness of treatment. Pain Management Guide can be used as a part in new employee and intern training program. Poster will increase parent awareness of pain treatment methodology on nursing. Important goal of this thesis is to develop preterm and newborn infant pain treatment.

This thesis was done as a project in co-operation with neonatal intensive care unit using best research based evidence available. Theoretical foundation was collected from previous studies, literature, subject matter scientific articles and using previ-ously created pain management guides. Four databases were used in data research alongside with manual search. A Guide and Poster were created on evidence based research. Poster will be placed on the unit wall.

Newborn infant analgesia has advanced significantly on past decades. Today it is well known fact that newborn and preterm infants feel pain and there are effective treatments available. Subjective measurement and diagnosis of newborn pain is challenging due the fact that newborn cannot express pain verbally. Newborn pain is diagnosed and measured based on pain scales developed for this purpose. Research proves drug free pain treatment to be effective on pain caused medical operations. This thesis will cover nursing environment management, treatment centralization, glucose solution administered through mouth, breast feeding, pacifier and suction, facilitated tucking, position treatment, heel warmup before sampling, massage and touching, kangaroo treatment and music. All of these can be used along with drug treatment.

Further studies should be conducted on effects of Pain Management Guide on neonatal intensive care unit. Specifically interesting are the effects of the Guide on drug free pain treatment methodology usage frequency and pain treatment measurement & recording activities. One specific further development would be drug free pain treatment methodology guide for newborns’ parents.