To Örebro University

Purpose This study aims to analyze global prescribing patterns for analgosedation in neonates during four critical care scenarios. The research explores existing patterns, their association with geographic and sociodemographic index (SDI), and adherence to evidence-based practices.

Methods Data from a 2024 global survey of 924 responses to 28 questions were analyzed, focusing on four items for their high variability: premedication in intubation (Q17), sedation in preterm (Q19) and full-term newborns (Q23), and perinatal asphyxia (Q26). Latent class analysis (LCA) classified neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) prescriptions into patterns, assigning participants to the most likely class. Demographic variables, including geographic region and SDI, were compared using chi-square tests to assess associations.

Results Three distinct prescribing patterns emerged for each scenario. In premedication during intubation, Europe and North America predominantly used Class 1, adhering to guidelines with fentanyl, atropine, and muscle relaxants. In contrast, Class 2, standard in Asia and Latin America-Caribbean, primarily utilized fentanyl and midazolam, with rare use of atropine and muscle relaxants. For analgosedation in newborns, higher-SDI NICUs favored fentanyl, while lower-SDI NICUs preferred midazolam or morphine combinations. In perinatal asphyxia cases, fentanyl was the leading choice in Class 3, especially in Europe. Dexmedetomidine use was limited, primarily appearing in Class 1 NICUs. 

Conclusion The study highlights substantial regional variability in neonatal analgosedation, influenced by SDI and geography. Despite established guidelines, gaps in evidence-based implementation persist. These findings underscore the need for global standardization of neonatal care protocols and further research on the long-term safety of midazolam and dexmedetomidine. 

Background Parents are a valuable but underutilizedresource in neonatal pain management. Involving parentshave shown to be efficient for pain relieving and combiningseveral parent-delivered methods could increase the effect.

Aim The aim of this study was to investigate the pain-relieving effects of parent-delivered pain managementcombining skin to skin contact (SSC), breastfeeding, andlive parental lullaby singing compared with SSC alone andwith standard care using oral glucose in healthy newborninfants.

Material and method Multicenter randomizedcontrolled trial with three parallel groups during routineblood sampling in postnatal care. Parent-infant dyads(n=225) were recruited from three health care regions inSweden and randomized to one of the three groups; 1 –standard care with oral glucose, 2- SSC 3 – a combinationof SSC, breastfeeding (if applicable) and live parentallullaby singing. Primary outcome was pain expressionassessed with Premature infant pain profile –Revised(PIPP-R), secondary outcomes were skin conductance andparents’ evaluation of pain, stress and meaningfulness.

Results Median PIPP-R was 5 (IQR 3–6) for group 1, 7(5–9) for group 2, and 7 (5–10) for group 3 (p < 0.001).There were no significant differences in skin conductance.Parents’ VAS-assessment (Figure 1) of infant pain rangedfrom a median of 9.5 to 17 mm, significantly higher ingroups 2 and 3 (p = 0.017). The parents rated their ownstress as low 4.5 - 6.5 mm and very high formeaningfulness 93 - 96 mm.

Conclusion This was the first large RCT to evaluate combined parent-delivered painmanagement including parents’ live singing. Pain scores remained within the mild to moderate range across all groups, with the infants receiving oral glucose having significantly lower pain scores. The results indicated that involving parents leads to low stress and high sense of meaningfulness. Combined parent-delivered pain management is feasible and safe.

BACKGROUND: Preterm infants are at risk of complications due to their prematurity and Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) is one of them. To discover and treat ROP the preterm infants regularly undergo eye examinations. Nurses are responsible for the infants' care during this painful and stressful procedure.

AIM: The aim of this study was to explore nurses' perceptions of preterm infants' eye examinations.

METHODS: Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 10 nurses experienced in participating in preterm infants' eye examinations. Data were analysed using a phenomenographic approach.

RESULTS: The results showed several perceptions of the eye examinations, and the analysis resulted in four descriptive categories: Infants are affected by the eye examination; Nurses have comprehensive overall responsibility for the infants; Parents are important to their infants, but they need support to fulfil their parental role, and Collaboration is important for the examination's favourable outcome. The category Nurses have comprehensive overall responsibility for the infants was regarded as the most comprehensive, covering all the other categories.

CONCLUSIONS: Nurses felt a great responsibility during a painful and stressful procedure for preterm infants. Infants' well-being could be better protected by interprofessional collaboration, improved nursing care and involved parents.

Background

Preterm infants are vulnerable and sensitive to stimuli, during their stay in neonatal intensive care they undergo frequent stressful and painful procedures. One of these painful procedures is the screening for retinopathy of prematurity, ROP. In Sweden all preterm infants born before gestation week 30 undergo ROP-screening. The screening involves regular eye examinations to detect ROP at the early stages and these examinations are both stressful and painful. Several studies have investigated different ways of pain management during eye examinations with inconsequent results. No study has investigated Clonidine as pain management during ROP-screening.  

Aim

The aim of this clinical trial is to investigate the analgesic effect of clonidine during ROP eyeexaminations.

Method

This study is a multicenter randomized controlled clinical trial with a crossover design. Infants born before gestation week 30 and therefore undergoing ROP-screening, will be eligible for inclusion in the study. Infants will be recruited from two Swedish NICUs (neonatal intensive care units). The NICUs use different examination techniques, where NICU A uses indirect ophthalmoscopy while NICU B uses RetCam. A total of 50 infants will be recruited (25 at each NICU).  During the first eye examination the infant will be randomized to either clonidine 4mcg/kg or sterile water in the equivalent dose 60 minutes before the eye examination. The order of the treatment is blinded for everyone except the nurse preparing the study solution. During the second eye examination the infant will receive the study solution, (intervention or placebo) that he/she did not receive the first time.  The primary outcome of the study is pain assessment with the Premature Infant Pain Profile – Revised. The infants´ face and monitor showing oxygen saturation and heart rate will be videorecorded to be able to assess the pain afterwards. The secondary outcome is Galvanic Skin Response where three probes are attached to the infant’s foot sole to register changes in the sweat gland activity in response to stimuli such as pain or stress. The ophthalmologist performing the eye examination will also rate how easy it was to examine the infant by marking an X on a 10cm VAS scale with “very easy to examine” on one end and “very difficult to examine” on the other end.  Data collection is ongoing with 19 infants included at the moment.  

Background: There is variability in the use of sedatives and analgesics in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). We aimed to investigate the use of analgesics and sedatives and the management of neonatal pain and distress.

Methods: This was a global, prospective, cross-sectional study. A survey was distributed May–November 2022. The primary outcome of this research was to compare results between countries depending on their socio-sanitary level using the sociodemographic index (SDI). We organized results based on geographical location.

Results: The survey collected 1304 responses, but we analyzed 924 responses after database cleaning. Responses from 98 different countries were analyzed. More than 60% of NICUs reported having an analgosedation guideline, and one-third of respondents used neonatal pain scales in more than 80% of neonates. We found differences in the management of sedation and analgesia between NICUs on different continents, but especially between countries with different SDIs. Countries with a higher SDI had greater availability of and adherence to analgosedation guidelines, as well as higher rates of analgosedation for painful or distressing procedures. Countries with different SDIs reported differences in analgosedation for neonatal intubation, invasive ventilation, and therapeutic hypothermia, among others.

Conclusions: Socio-economic status of countries impacts on neonatal analgosedation management.

Parents as pain management in Swedish neonatal care (SWEpap), is a new cutting-edge interdisciplinary multi-center clinical study. Using a mixed methods approach, SWEpap investigates combined parent-delivered interventions such as infant-directed lullaby singing, breastfeeding and skin-to-skin contact where parents themselves mediate pain alleviation. This approach is consistent with a modern understanding of pain and of family-integrated care. Today non-pharmacological strategies are considered the first choice in neonatal pain management, and parent-delivered interventions are valuable but often overlooked resources in the procedural pain management in newborn infants. Research shows that parents desire to be actively involved. More research on parents’ experiences of being active in pain alleviation is needed, as well as research on the effectiveness of combined parent-delivered pain management including relationship-based interventions as the parent’s musical presence.  The qualitative part of the project is investigating the experiences and attitudes of parents and nurses towards combined parent-delivered pain management. The study applies a collaborative participatory action research (PAR) design with ethnographic inspired data collection in form of focus groups, video-observations, and video-stimulated recall interviews for data collection.  ResultsPreparation was considered the key for combined parent-delivered pain management. Both parents and nurses emphasized the importance of allowing time for the parent-infant dyad to calm down together before the painful procedure to cope with the situation. The combined parent-delivered pain management was considered feasible by both parents and nurses. Parents expressed that the singing helped them focus on their infant instead of the procedure. The parental lullaby singing created a calm and trusting atmosphere, affecting not only the parent-infant dyad but also the nurses. After the procedure both parents and nurses felt that they have successfully supported the infant through a painful procedure.  The second part of the ongoing SWEpap project is a randomized controlled trial investigating the efficacy of combined parent-delivered pain management with live parental lullaby singing, skin-to-skin contact, and breastfeeding compared with standard pain care during routine blood sampling of healthy newborn infants.

Background: There is a knowledge-to-practice gap regarding parent-delivered pain management, and few studies have investigated parents' and nurses' participation in and acceptance of combined parent-delivered pain-alleviating interventions such as skin-to-skin contact (SSC), breastfeeding, and parental musical presence. This study investigated parents' and nurses' perceptions of and reflections on experiencing combined parent-delivered pain management.

Methods: This qualitative study applies a collaborative participatory action research design using ethnographic data collection methods such as focus groups, video observations, and video-stimulated recall interviews with parents and nurses.

Results: The results concern three main categories, i.e., preparation, participation, and closeness, as well as various sub-categories. Preparations were central to enabling combined parent-delivered pain management. Participation was facilitated by parental musical presence, in which parents shifted their attention toward their infant. Closeness and presence during neonatal care helped parents become active during their infant's painful procedures. Parental lullaby singing created a calm and trusting atmosphere and after the procedure, both parents and nurses felt that they had successfully supported the infant through a potentially painful procedure.

Conclusions: Mental and practical preparation is central to implementing combined parent-delivered pain management. When parents and nurses explored the interventions, they found the methods feasible, promoting self-efficacy and confidence in both parents and nurses.

Background:

Parents are a valuable but underutilized resource in procedural pain management in newborn infants. Parents want to take an active role in their infants’ pain management.  Yet, there is a lack of knowledge concerning the parents’ experiences of providing pain management.  Newborn infants experience several painful procedures related to postnatal care and immunizations. Not all infants receive adequate pain management during these procedures causing unnecessary suffering and leaves the infant at risk of complications. Parent-delivered pain management such as skin to skin contact and breastfeeding alleviate the infant’s pain during painful procedures. Live parental infant-directed lullaby singing has not been previously investigated during painful procedures. Infant-directed singing can be an apt medium for parents and infants to communicate in affective mutual relationship during painful procedures. Parents have a unique expertise about their infants and by including them in the pain management they could become valuable partners for the health professionals. The aim of the study was to investigate how meaningful the parents experienced providing procedural pain management to their newborn infant. 

Method: 

This study was part of a multi-center randomized controlled trial (RCT) with three parallel groups of healthy newborn infants and their parents. The SWEpap study (Parents as pain management in Swedish neonatal care), investigates the efficacy of combined pain management with skin-to-skin contact, breastfeeding and live parental lullaby singing compared with standard pain care initiated by health care professionals, and compared with just holding skin-to-skin during routine metabolic screening of newborn infants. The infant-parent dyads were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups. For the parents’ ratings of meaningfulness, a visual analogue scale (VAS) with a 100mm line anchored at the ends is used; from “not meaningful” on the left end point, up to “most possible meaningful” on the right end point of the scale. The parents were also asked to give their verbal comment on how they experienced the blood sampling situation and providing pain management.  

Results: 

A total number of 151 newborn infants with at least one parent, participated in the study. Mean gestational age was 39.6 w., mean birth weight was 3547 g., and 49,7 % were girls.  The mean VAS-ratings for meaningfulness were 82.1 in the standard care group, 89.5 in the skin-to-skin group and 88.9 in the combined intervention group. The ratings in the two groups with parent-delivered pain-alleviation were significantly higher than in the standard care group (p=0.036).  Parents in all groups expressed that it was meaningful to provide pain-relief and participate in the pain management of their newborn infant.  “Very meaningful. It felt much safer to have her close to me during the skin puncture. Usually, she is on the examination table which gives an unsecure feeling because when she is in pain you can’t do anything as a parent.” (Mother, skin-to-skin group) “It felt very good to make a positive impact. Singing went very well. I usually sing all the time at home.” (Father, combined group) “I could control the syringe with glucose which made me less helpless as a parent because I could contribute.” (Parent, standard care group) Some parents commented that providing pain management helped themselves to overcome their own fears. “I am scared of needles myself and has been worrying about needles and blood but this went really well. She was so calm, gave not a sound. I could also relax when she was calm.” (Mother, skin-to-skin group) Parents also compared with previous blood sampling situations. “My previous child was totally hysteric during blood sampling on the examination table. Today, the baby was absolutely calm.” (Parent, combined group)  Finally, many parents expressed that they wanted to continue providing parent-delivered pain management in the future. “I can absolutely think to use this pain relief combination in the future. He does recognize the singing and my voice from before.” (Mother, combined group)  

Conclusions: 

The findings of this study shows that parents find it meaningful to provide parent-delivered pain-alleviating interventions during painful procedures in postnatal care. The parents in the skin-to-skin group and the group that combined skin-to-skin, breastfeeding, and live parental lullaby singing expressed that they wanted to keep using these methods in future painful situations as well. Even parents with fear of needles felt it was meaningful to participate in parent-delivered pain-alleviating pain management since their participation blunted their own fear.  Relevance for patient care: All newborn infants are subjected to painful procedures during the first months of life and pain-relieving methods are insufficiently used. Modern neonatal care strives to be family oriented with a high degree of parental participation. This must also be the case with pain management and parents must be given tools and opportunities to be an active agent in their infant’s pain management.