Validity and reliability of the Neonatal Infant Acute Pain Assessment Scale (NIAPAS) in Turkish: prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Using pain scales helps nurses in making early diagnoses and in assessing and managing pain symptoms and findings when developing a nursing care plan. OBJECTIVE: To determine the validity and reliability of the Turkish form of the Neonatal Infant Acute Pain Assessment Scale (NIAPAS). DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective study conducted in Istanbul Bakirköy Dr. Sadi Konuk Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey. METHODS: 145 newborns in the 26th to 42nd gestational weeks that were receiving treatment and care in the neonatal intensive care unit were included in this study. A total of 1740 pain assessments were made by two independent observers on these 145 newborns. The research data was collected using a newborn description form, NIAPAS and the Neonatal Infant Pain Scale (NIPS). RESULTS: The scope validity index of NIAPAS was found to be between 0.90 and 1.00 and its Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.914. Correlations between characteristics and total scores (r = 0.20-0.82) were found to be sufficiently high. In an assessment on concurrency validity, there was a strong positive relationship between NIAPAS and NIPS scores (r = 0.73-0.82; P < 0.000). From kappa analysis (0.73-0.99) and intraclass correlation (r = 0.75-0.96), it was determined that there was concordance between the observers. CONCLUSION: NIAPAS was found to be a valid and reliable scale for evaluating acute pain in newborns.

Validity and reliability of the Neonatal Infant Acute Pain Assessment Scale (NIAPAS) in Turkish: prospective study

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Using pain scales helps nurses in making early diagnoses and in assessing and managing pain symptoms and findings when developing a nursing care plan. OBJECTIVE: To determine the validity and reliability of the Turkish form of the Neonatal Infant Acute Pain Assessment Scale (NIAPAS). DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective study conducted in Istanbul Bakırköy Dr. Sadi Konuk Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey. METHODS: 145 newborns in the 26th to 42nd gestational weeks that were receiving treatment and care in the neonatal intensive care unit were included in this study. A total of 1740 pain assessments were made by two independent observers on these 145 newborns. The research data was collected using a newborn description form, NIAPAS and the Neonatal Infant Pain Scale (NIPS). RESULTS: The scope validity index of NIAPAS was found to be between 0.90 and 1.00 and its Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.914. Correlations between characteristics and total scores (r = 0.20-0.82) were found to be sufficiently high. In an assessment on concurrency validity, there was a strong positive relationship between NIAPAS and NIPS scores (r = 0.73-0.82; P < 0.000). From kappa analysis (0.73-0.99) and intraclass correlation (r = 0.75-0.96), it was determined that there was concordance between the observers. CONCLUSION: NIAPAS was found to be a valid and reliable scale for evaluating acute pain in newborns.

Impact of the odors of vanilla extract and breast milk on the frequency of apnea in preterm neonates.

AIM: We developed this study using an experimental design to determine the impact of the odors of vanilla extract and breast milk on apnea frequency in preterm neonates. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We obtained the study data from 42 preterm neonates (16 vanilla, 13 breast milk, 13 control group) who had been admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Istanbul University meeting the case selection criteria. All groups were monitored on the first day without any intervention. On the second and third days, breast milk was placed in the incubators of the babies in the breast milk group and the sterile gauze that was vanilla-impregnated was placed in the incubators of the babies in the vanilla group. On the fourth day, the babies were watched without any interference. RESULTS: On the second, third and fourth days of the study, we determined that apnea frequency in the vanilla group neonates was significantly lower (P < .00) as compared to the breast milk and control groups. CONCLUSION: Using vanilla extract in neonates suffering from apnea to reduce its frequency is an effective method.