Neonatal pain assessment: Do we have the right tools?

Source: Front Pediatr 2022; 10. doi: 10.3389/fped.2022.1022751Authors: Llerena A, Tran K, Choudhary D, Hausmann J, Goldgof D, Sun Y, Prescott SM

The assessment and management of neonatal pain is crucial for the development and wellbeing of vulnerable infants. Specifically, neonatal pain is associated with adverse health outcomes but is often under-identified and therefore under-treated. Neonatal stress may be misinterpreted as pain and may therefore be treated inappropriately. The assessment of neonatal pain is complicated by the non-verbal status of patients, age-dependent variation in pain responses, limited education on identifying pain in premature infants, and the clinical utility of existing tools.

Pubmed ID: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36819198/