Determination of methods used by the neonatal care unit nurses for management of procedural pain in Turkey

Objective: To determine the pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods used by neonatal intensive care unit nurses to reduce procedural pain. Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2011 to June 2012 and comprised nurses employed in the paediatric departments, consisting of neonatal intensive care units and newborn units, of 15 hospitals in various cities of Turkey: 8 in Istanbul, 3 in Izmir and two each in Antalya and Edirne. Data was collected using a questionnaire and analysed using SPSS 15. Results: The mean age of the 486 nurses was 28.19+/-5.14 years; 316(65%) had bachelor's degrees; 278(57.2%) had nursing experience greater than 6 years; and 322(72.5%) had newborn nursing experience greater than 6 years. Overall, 364(74.9%) nurses used non-pharmacological methods, and 145(29.8%) used pharmacological methods for pain relief. The most commonly used non-pharmacological methods were skin touch 364(75%) and giving a pacifier 269(55.3%). The most commonly used pharmacological methods were paracetamol and ibuprofen by 145(29.8%) nurses. A statistically significant difference was found between the level of education and use of pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods for pain relief (p<0.05). Conclusion: Among the nurses in both groups, very little pain management was used for invasive procedures. Educational programmes for pain management in newborns should be arranged to develop an institutional culture. Guidelines for these patients' pain management should also be established.