Health professionals’ barriers in the management, evaluation, and treatment of neonatal pain

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Despite the solid results on pain management strategies in neonatology, it is necessary to identify and explore the barriers that may hamper the attention to pain and the implementation of the scientific evidence widely disseminated in the literature in the care practice. The objective of this study was to describe the barriers encountered by the healthcare professionals of a neonatal intensive care unit regarding the management, evaluation, and treatment of newborn pain. METHODS: Descriptive, exploratory, quantitative study carried out in a maternity hospital in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Forty-two nursing technicians, 22 nurses, 20 physicians, and 2 physiotherapists participated in the study. The data was collected in an interview using a form and the data was analyzed by descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Among the barriers found it stands out the lack of training on neonatal pain, no use of scales, the absence of routine and protocols for the treatment of pain, and the need for greater safety for the evaluation and treatment of pain. It was also observed that there is a gap between knowledge and care practice in the unit. CONCLUSION: The identification of these barriers is essential to establish strategies based on knowledge-transfer to overcome the obstacles and improve the care given to newborns in the neonatal intensive care unit.