Prevention and management of pain in the neonate: An update

Abstract

The prevention of pain in neonates should be the goal of all caregivers because painful exposures have the potential for deleterious consequences. Those neonates at greatest risk for neurodevelopmental impairment due to preterm birth (eg, the smallest and sickest) are also most likely to be exposed to the greatest number of painful stimuli in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Although there are major gaps in our knowledge regarding the most effective way to prevent and relieve pain in neonates, proven and safe therapies are currently underutilized for routine minor, yet painful, procedures. Every health care facility caring for neonates should implement an effective pain prevention program that includes strategies for the following: routinely assessing pain; minimizing the number of painful procedures performed; effectively using pharmacological and nonpharmacological therapies for the prevention of pain associated with routine minor procedures; and eliminating pain associated with surgery and other major procedures.