The pathophysiology, assessment, and management of acute pain.

This article reviews the pathophysiology and treatment of acute pain. Two definitions of pain are considered, along with the International Association for the Study of Pain taxonomy for nociceptive, neuropathic and nociplastic pain. The mechanisms of acute and neuropathic pain are considered. Methods of assessment are discussed followed by the pharmacological management of both nociceptive and neuropathic pain.

The Value Proposition of Observation Medicine in Managing Acute Oncologic Pain.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Despite recommended best practice guidelines, pain remains an ongoing but undertreated symptom in patients with cancer, many of whom require emergency department evaluation for acute oncologic pain. A significant proportion of these patients are hospitalized for pain management, which increases healthcare costs and exposes patients to the risks of hospitalization. We reviewed the literature on observation medicine: an emerging mode of healthcare delivery which can offer patients with acute pain access to a hospital's pain management solutions and specialists without an inpatient hospitalization. Specifically, we appraised the role of observation medicine in acute pain management and its financial implications in order to consider its potential impact on the management of acute oncologic pain. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent evidence shows that observation medicine has the potential to decrease short-stay hospitalizations in cancer patients presenting with various concerns, including pain. Observation medicine is reported to be successful in providing comprehensive and cost-effective care for non-cancer patients with acute pain, making it a promising alternative to short-stay hospitalizations for cancer patients with acute oncologic pain.

Acute Pain Service in Hungarian hospitals.

BACKGROUND: Surgical procedures play an increasing role among health technologies to treat diseases. Pain often accompanies such diseases, both as a result of their pathology, but also as the side-effect of the intervention itself, and it is not only a burdensome subjective feeling, but adversely affects the recovery process, can induce complications and increases treatment costs. Acute Pain Service Teams are becoming increasingly widespread in hospitals to address post-operative pain, yet we have so far no data on how many hospitals have actually adopted this technology in Hungary. OBJECTIVES: The main objectives of our study were to assess the prevalence of Acute Pain Service Teams, map their structure and operation, as well as to understand the barriers and conducive factors of their establishment in Hungarian hospitals. METHODS: We carried out a survey among the 72 hospitals with surgical departments. The questionnaire was filled in by 52 providers, which gave us a response rate of 72.2%. RESULTS: Our results show, that only two of the responding hospitals have Acute Pain Service Teams albeit their structure and operation are in line with the literature. In the 50 hospitals without such teams, financing difficulties and human resources shortages are mentioned to be the most important obstacles of their establishment, but the lack of initiative and interest on the part of the specialities concerned are also an important barrier. CONCLUSIONS: Lagging behind the more affluent EU member states, but similarly to other Central and Eastern European countries, Acute Pain Service has been hardly adopted by Hungarian hospitals. Hungarian health professionals know the technology and would support its wider introduction, if the technical feasibility barriers could be overcome. Health policy should play a more active role to facilitate change in this area, the investment in which promises a substantial return in terms of health gains and cost savings.

Emergency care providers' perspectives of acute pain assessment and management in the prehospital setting, in the Western Cape, South Africa: A qualitative study.

INTRODUCTION: A growing body of evidence suggests that pain knowledge and management are poor, perhaps more so in the prehospital setting. The daily challenges that emergency care providers face in dealing with prehospital pain remain unclear. This study aimed to gain a deeper understanding of acute prehospital pain assessment and management in the Western Cape, South Africa. METHODS: A series of focus group discussions, using a constructivist paradigm and qualitative content analysis were conducted. RESULTS: The key themes emerging from six focus groups (total 25 emergency care providers) related to the difficulties of assessing pain in this setting, factors affecting clinical reasoning in this (hostile) setting, the realities of prehospital pain care for non-advanced life support practitioners, along with emergency departments' lack of understanding and appreciation of the prehospital environment, and participants' suggestions to improve pain practice. CONCLUSION: Several barriers and enablers, some novel, to pain assessment and management in the South African prehospital setting were identified. Our findings provide valuable insight and understanding of the challenges related to pain care prehospital providers face, in other similar prehospital settings, but also to the global body of knowledge on prehospital barriers and enablers of pain assessment and management.

Shall we use cryotherapy in the treatment in surgical procedures, in acute pain or injury, or in long term pain or dysfunction? - A systematic review.

PURPOSE: This review aimed to evaluate the certainty of evidence for the use of cryotherapy in patients with musculoskeletal disorders. METHODS: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library and AMED were searched from January 2000 to January 2018 (update June 2019) for systematic reviews (SRs) and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) reporting outcomes on pain, swelling, range of motion (ROM), function, blood loss, analgesic use, patient satisfaction and adverse advents. The papers were categorised into: surgical procedures, acute pain or injury and long-term pain or dysfunction. Methodological quality and risk of bias were assessed using the AMSTAR and the Swedish Health Technology Assessment instruments. Level of certainty of evidence was synthesized using GRADE. STUDY SELECTION: Eight SRs and 50 RCTs from a total of 6027 (+839) were included. In total 34 studies evaluated cryotherapy in surgical procedures, twelve evaluated cryotherapy use in acute pain or injury and twelve studies evaluated cryotherapy in long-term pain and dysfunction. RESULTS: The certainty of evidence is moderate (GRADE III) after surgical procedures to reduce pain, improve ROM, for patient satisfaction and few adverse events are reported. Cryotherapy in acute pain and injury or long-term pain and dysfunction show positive effects but have a higher number of outcomes with low certainty of evidence (GRADE II). CONCLUSION: Cryotherapy may safely be used in musculoskeletal injuries and dysfunctions. It is well tolerated by patients. More advanced forms of cryotherapy may accentuate the effect. Future research is needed where timing, temperature for cooling, dose (time) and frequency are evaluated.

Risk Factors Associated With Transition From Acute to Chronic Low Back Pain in US Patients Seeking Primary Care.

Importance: Acute low back pain (LBP) is highly prevalent, with a presumed favorable prognosis; however, once chronic, LBP becomes a disabling and expensive condition. Acute to chronic LBP transition rates vary widely owing to absence of standardized operational definitions, and it is unknown whether a standardized prognostic tool (ie, Subgroups for Targeted Treatment Back tool [SBT]) can estimate this transition or whether early non-guideline concordant treatment is associated with the transition to chronic LBP. Objective: To assess the associations between the transition from acute to chronic LBP with SBT risk strata; demographic, clinical, and practice characteristics; and guideline nonconcordant processes of care. Design, Setting, and Participants: This inception cohort study was conducted alongside a multisite, pragmatic cluster randomized trial. Adult patients with acute LBP stratified by SBT risk were enrolled in 77 primary care practices in 4 regions across the United States between May 2016 and June 2018 and followed up for 6 months, with final follow-up completed by March 2019. Data analysis was conducted from January to March 2020. Exposures: SBT risk strata and early LBP guideline nonconcordant processes of care (eg, receipt of opioids, imaging, and subspecialty referral). Main Outcomes and Measures: Transition from acute to chronic LBP at 6 months using the National Institutes of Health Task Force on Research Standards consensus definition of chronic LBP. Patient demographic characteristics, clinical factors, and LBP process of care were obtained via electronic medical records. Results: Overall, 5233 patients with acute LBP (3029 [58%] women; 4353 [83%] White individuals; mean [SD] age 50.6 [16.9] years; 1788 [34%] low risk; 2152 [41%] medium risk; and 1293 [25%] high risk) were included. Overall transition rate to chronic LBP at six months was 32% (1666 patients). In a multivariable model, SBT risk stratum was positively associated with transition to chronic LBP (eg, high-risk vs low-risk groups: adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.45; 95% CI, 2.00-2.98; P < .001). Patient and clinical characteristics associated with transition to chronic LBP included obesity (aOR, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.28-1.80; P < .001); smoking (aOR, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.29-1.89; P < .001); severe and very severe baseline disability (aOR, 1.82; 95% CI, 1.48-2.24; P < .001 and aOR, 2.08; 95% CI, 1.60-2.68; P < .001, respectively) and diagnosed depression/anxiety (aOR, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.28-2.15; P < .001). After controlling for all other variables, patients exposed to 1, 2, or 3 nonconcordant processes of care within the first 21 days were 1.39 (95% CI, 1.21-2.32), 1.88 (95% CI, 1.53-2.32), and 2.16 (95% CI, 1.10-4.25) times more likely to develop chronic LBP compared with those with no exposure (P < .001). Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study, the transition rate to chronic LBP was substantial and increased correspondingly with SBT stratum and early exposure to guideline nonconcordant care.

The contemporary management of neck pain in adults.

Neck pain is a common condition with a high prevalence worldwide. Neck pain is associated with significant levels of disability and is widely considered an important public health problem. Neck pain is defined as pain perceived between the superior nuchal line and the spinous process of the first thoracic vertebra. In some types of neck conditions, the pain can be referred to the head, trunk and upper limbs. This article aims to provide an overview of the available evidence on prevalence, costs, diagnosis, prognosis, risk factors, prevention and management of patients with neck pain.

The effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of motion style acupuncture treatment (MSAT) for acute neck pain: A multi-center randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Neck pain is a common complaint in the general population. Despite the consistent ongoing pain and the resulting economic burden on affected individuals, there have only been a few studies investigating the treatment of acute neck pain. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness, safety, and cost-effectiveness of the motion style acupuncture treatment (MSAT) and acupuncture treatment for acute neck pain. METHODS: This 2-armed, parallel, multi-centered randomized controlled trial will be conducted at 4 community-based hospitals in Korea. A total of 128 subjects will be randomly assigned, at a 1:1 ratio, to the MSAT and the acupuncture treatment groups. Treatment will be administered 2 to 3 times a week for 2 weeks. The primary outcome will be the visual analog scale of neck pain on movement. The secondary outcomes will be the numeric rating scale of the neck, neck disability index, Northwick Park questionnaire, patient global impression of change, range of motion of the neck, 5-level EuroQol-5 dimension, 12-item Short-Form Health Survey, and EuroQol visual analogue scale. This protocol has been registered at the Clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04539184). DISCUSSION: To our knowledge, this study is the first well-designed multi-centered randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness, safety, and cost-effectiveness of MSAT on acute neck pain. The results of this study will be useful for clinicians in primary medical institutions that frequently treat acute neck pain patients and for policymakers working with national health insurance.

Approaching acute pain in emergency settings: European Society for Emergency Medicine (EUSEM) guidelines-part 1: assessment.

Pain management is a vital component of patient care, particularly in the emergency setting. Pain can hinder the opportunities to treat and manage pain-causing conditions and remains one of the primary reasons patients seek emergency medical care, yet despite this, pain often remains under-acknowledged, under-assessed and undertreated. Despite the importance of effective management of acute pain, there are currently no well-defined emergency medicine guidelines at a European level to support healthcare professionals in achieving this goal. The European Society for Emergency Medicine (EUSEM) identified this as a significant unmet requirement, for improving day-to-day patient management and for providing guidance to trainees and non-emergency medicine physicians. Under the auspices of EUSEM, a programme-the European Pain Initiative-was launched with the aim of providing information, advice and guidance on pain management in pre-hospital and emergency department settings. Search terms were developed to search MEDLINE, Cochrane database, Google Scholar and EMBASE online databases to return English language articles published in the last 10 years. A working package of reference materials was evaluated against inclusion and exclusion criteria and levels of evidence ascribed. A short survey was developed by the European Pain Initiative Steering Committee for completion by EUSEM members to evaluate actual clinical practice. A working document of > 800 publications was identified for further review and evaluation against agreed criteria. Some further publications were included by the Steering Committee to explore older literature for long-established analgesics, or newly emergent literature that was considered important for inclusion but was identified as the guideline development was underway. This article provides the methodology used to inform the guidelines, including survey results of EUSEM members on assessment and treatment of acute pain. A companion manuscript in this issue presents an evidence-based review and recommendations for individualised evaluation of acute pain in patients in emergency settings.

Assessment, Quantification, and Management of Fracture Pain: from Animals to the Clinic.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Fractures are painful and disabling injuries that can occur due to trauma, especially when compounded with pathologic conditions, such as osteoporosis in older adults. It is well documented that acute pain management plays an integral role in the treatment of orthopedic patients. There is no current therapy available to completely control post-fracture pain that does not interfere with bone healing or have major adverse effects. In this review, we focus on recent advances in the understanding of pain behaviors post-fracture. RECENT FINDINGS: We review animal models of bone fracture and the assays that have been developed to assess and quantify spontaneous and evoked pain behaviors, including the two most commonly used assays: dynamic weight bearing and von Frey testing to assess withdrawal from a cutaneous (hindpaw) stimulus. Additionally, we discuss the assessment and quantification of fracture pain in the clinical setting, including the use of numeric pain rating scales, satisfaction with pain relief, and other biopsychosocial factor measurements. We review how pain behaviors in animal models and clinical cases can change with the use of current pain management therapies. We conclude by discussing the use of pain behavioral analyses in assessing potential therapeutic treatment options for addressing acute and chronic fracture pain without compromising fracture healing. There currently is a lack of effective treatment options for fracture pain that reliably relieve pain without potentially interfering with bone healing. Continued development and verification of reliable measurements of fracture pain in both pre-clinical and clinical settings is an essential aspect of continued research into novel analgesic treatments for fracture pain.

Role of Micro-RNA for Pain After Surgery: Narrative Review of Animal and Human Studies.

One of the most prevalent symptoms after major surgery is pain. When postoperative pain treatment is unsatisfactory, it can lead to poor surgical recovery, decreased quality of life, and increased health care costs. Current analgesics, single or in combination, have limited efficacy due to low potency, limited duration of action, toxicities, and risk of addiction. The lack of nonaddictive strong analgesics along with the over prescription of opioids has led to an opioid epidemic in the United States. Therefore, there is an urgent need for the development of newer analgesics. Microribonucleic acids (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNA molecules that modulate protein synthesis in neurons and supporting cells (glia, leukocytes, and Schwann cells). The literature indicates that miRNA regulation is important in nociception. Here, we summarize the current evidence on the role of miRNAs on mechanisms involved in incisional, inflammatory, neuropathic, and cancer pain. We also discuss the role of modulating miRNA functions as potential therapeutic targets for analgesic use and opioid tolerance. Finally, we propose how the delivery of analog miRNAs (mimic-miRNAs or antago-miRNAs) could be introduced into clinical practice to provide analgesia in the perioperative period.

Optimising pain management in children with acute otitis media through a primary care-based multifaceted educational intervention: study protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Whilst current guidelines highlight the importance of pain management for children with acute otitis media (AOM), there is evidence to suggest that this is not implemented in everyday practice. We have developed a primary care-based multifaceted educational intervention to optimise pain management in children with AOM, and we trial its clinical and cost effectiveness. METHODS: This cluster randomised controlled trial aims to recruit 250 children aged 6 months to 10 years presenting with AOM to general practitioners (GPs) in 30 primary care centres (PCCs) across the Netherlands. GPs in the PCCs allocated to the intervention group receive a blended GP educational programme (online and face-to-face training). The intervention asks GPs to proactively discuss pain management with parents using an information leaflet, and to prescribe paracetamol and ibuprofen according to current guidelines. GPs in both groups complete an online module illustrating various otoscopic images to standardise AOM diagnosis. GPs in the PCCs allocated to the control group do not receive any further training and provide 'care as usual'. During the 4-week follow-up, parents complete a symptom diary. The primary outcome is the difference in parent-reported mean earache scores over the first 3 days. Secondary outcomes include both number of days with earache and fever, GP re-consultations for AOM, antibiotic prescriptions, and costs. Analysis will be by intention-to-treat. DISCUSSION: The optimal use of analgesics through the multifaceted intervention may provide symptom relief and thereby reduce re-consultations and antibiotic prescriptions in children with AOM. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Netherlands Trial Register, NTR4920 . Registered on 19 December 2014.

What Can Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine Learn from "Big Data"?

Demonstrating value added to patients' experience through regional anesthesiology and acute pain medicine is critical. Evidence supporting improved outcomes can be derived from prospective studies or retrospective cohort studies. Population-based studies relying on existing clinical and administrative databases are helpful when an outcome is rare and detecting a change would require studying large numbers of patients. This article discusses the effect of regional anesthesiology and acute pain medicine interventions on mortality and morbidity, infection rate, cancer recurrence, inpatient falls, local anesthetic systemic toxicity, persistent postsurgical pain, and health care costs.

Predictors of acute care utilization and acute pain treatment outcomes in adults with sickle cell disease: The role of non-hematologic characteristics and baseline chronic opioid dose.

Despite its rarity in the United States, sickle cell disease accounts for a disproportionate amount of healthcare utilization and costs. The majority of this is due to acute care for painful crises. A small subpopulation of patients accounts for most these costs due to frequent visits to emergency departments and acute care facilities. Previous investigations have found that these high utilizing patients are distinguished by both a more severe disease course and certain non-hematologic characteristics, which may include higher socioeconomic status and some psychiatric and psychological characteristics. This prospective observational cohort study was undertaken to test the ability of these characteristics to prospectively predict acute pain care outcomes, including visit frequency, total opioid doses, and pain improvement at the Johns Hopkins Sickle Cell Infusion Center (SCIC). Seventy-three participants were followed for 12 months and SCIC utilization and treatment outcomes were tabulated for 378 visits. Participants who visited the SCIC most frequently had markedly worse pain improvement despite higher within-visit opioid doses. Higher utilization was associated with indicators of greater illness severity, more aggressive treatment for sickle cell disease, higher baseline opioid doses, higher socioeconomic status, greater pain-related anxiety, and a history of psychiatric treatment. Overall, poor acute pain treatment response was associated with higher utilization and higher baseline opioid doses. The pattern of association between high utilization, poor acute care outcomes, and higher baseline opioid doses is discussed in terms of prior research and future directions.

The experience of patients admitted to hospital with acute low back pain: a qualitative study.

AIM: To understand the patient experience of being admitted to hospital with acute low back pain (LBP), with a view to developing suggestions for care and LBP management guidelines. METHOD: Interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) was adopted to examine semi-structured interviews from patients admitted to hospital with acute LBP. Sampling continued until thematic saturation was reached (n = 14). Data were analyzed using the Framework Method, so that data from multiple participants could be systematically summarized, compared, and analyzed. RESULTS: Four themes were identified: pain and helplessness, desire for validation, interactions with healthcare teams, and a return to pre-morbid identity and roles. Patients' initial presentation to hospital was characterized by severe pain, disability and difficulty in communicating their illness experience. Patients expected doctors to investigate for an underlying cause of the back pain. To recover, they were required to navigate a system they did not understand, interacting with healthcare workers who seemed to operate independently rather than as a team. Patients viewed medical treatment as a means of returning to pre-morbid activities of daily living, roles and relationships. Using these themes, a model of the inpatient journey was developed. CONCLUSION: We have described new patient insights which highlight how the hospital environment adds unique challenges to managing acute LBP. Several suggestions for acute LBP management guidelines are made: developing lay summaries for patients, including methods for communicating the team structure and roles to patients, and ensuring all members of treating teams are educated to ensure guidelines are consistently implemented.

Hospitalization due to acute exacerbation of chronic pain: An intervention study in a university hospital.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Hospitalization as a result of acute exacerbation of complex chronic pain is a largely hidden problem, as patients are often admitted to hospital under a variety of specialities, and there is frequently no overarching inpatient chronic pain service dedicated to their management. Our institution had established an inpatient acute pain service overseen by pain physicians and staffed by specialist nurses that was intended to focus on the management of perioperative pain. We soon observed an increasing number of nurse-to-nurse referrals of non-surgical inpatients admitted with chronic pain. Some of these patients had seemingly intractable and highly complex pain problems, and consequently we initiated twice-weekly attending physician-led inpatient pain rounds to coordinate their management. From these referrals, we identified a cohort of 20 patients who were frequently hospitalized for long periods with exacerbations of chronic pain. We sought to establish whether the introduction of the physician-led inpatient pain ward round reduced the number and duration of hospitalizations, and costs of treatment. METHODS: We undertook a retrospective, observational, intervention cohort study. We recorded acute Emergency Department (ED) attendances, hospital admissions, and duration and costs of hospitalization of the cohort of 20 patients in the year before and year after introduction of the inpatient pain service. RESULTS: The patients' mean age was 38.2 years (±standard deviation 13.8 years, range 18-68 years); 13 were women (65.0%). The mode number of ED attendances was 4 (range 2-15) pre-intervention, and 3 (range 0-9) afterwards (p=0.116). The mode bed occupancy was 32 days (range 9-170 days) pre-intervention and 19 days (range 0-115 days) afterwards (p=0.215). The total cost of treating the cohort over the 2-year study period was £733,010 (US$1.12m), comprising £429,479 (US$656,291) of bed costs and £303,531 (US$463,828) of investigation costs. The intervention did not achieve significant improvements in the total costs, bed costs or investigation costs. CONCLUSIONS: Despite our attending physician-led intervention, the frequency, duration and very substantial costs of hospitalization of the cohort were not significantly reduced, suggesting that other strategies need to be identified to help these complex and vulnerable patients. IMPLICATIONS: Frequent hospitalization with acute exacerbation of chronic pain is a largely hidden problem that has very substantial implications for patients, their carers and healthcare providers. Chronic pain services tend to focus on outpatient management. Breaking the cycle of frequent and recurrent hospitalization using multidisciplinary chronic pain management techniques has the potential to improve patients' quality of life and reduce hospital costs. Nonetheless, the complexity of these patients' chronic pain problems should not be underestimated and in some cases are very challenging to treat.

Evaluation of Adult Acute Scrotum in the Emergency Room: Clinical Characteristics, Diagnosis, Management, and Costs.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinic characteristics, diagnosis, management, and costs of the adult acute scrotum in the emergency room (ER). Acute scrotum is a syndrome characterized by intense, acute scrotal pain that may be accompanied by other symptoms. It is usual in children and commonly found as well in adults, with different causal pathologies between these groups. METHODS: Between November 2013 and September 2014, 669 cases of adult acute scrotum who presented to our ER were prospectively analyzed. Patients under 15 years of age were excluded. Patient age, reason for consultation, investigations performed, final diagnosis, management, and costs were evaluated. For the statistical analysis, the Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis U, and chi-square tests were used. RESULTS: A total of 669 cases of acute scrotum were analyzed. The mean age at presentation was 40.2 ± 17.3 years. The most presented diagnoses were orchiepididymitis (28.7%), epididymitis (28.4%), symptoms of uncertain etiology (25.1%), and orchitis (10.3%). Diagnostic tests were carried out in 57.8% of cases. Most cases were treated as outpatients (94.2%), with 5.83% admitted and 1% undergoing surgical treatment. Overall, 13.3% of patients represented to the ER. Abnormal results in blood and urine tests were more common among older patients and infectious pathologies. The average cost generated by an acute scrotum ER consult was 195.03€. CONCLUSION: Infectious pathologies are the most common causes of acute scrotum at ER. Abnormal blood and urine tests are unusual and are more common in older patients and infectious pathologies.

Conhecimento e atitude dos profissionais de enfermagem sobre avaliação e tratamento da dor neonatal / Nursing professionals' knowledge and attitude related to assessment and treatment of neonatal pain

Objetivo do estudo foi verificar o conhecimento e atitude dos profissionais de enfermagem de uma unidade neonatal quanto à avaliação e tratamento da dor aguda em recém-nascidos. Estudo descritivo exploratório realizado com 26 profissionais de enfermagem de uma unidade neonatal no Centro-Oeste, Brasil. A maioria dos profissionais identificou ao menos uma escala de avaliação da dor neonatal (76,9%). As estratégias para alívio da dor selecionadas pelos profissionais foram diminuição de ruído e luminosidade (84,6%), posição canguru (76,9%) e colo (76,9%). Menos da metade (28,0%) dos profissionais afirmou registrar sempre ou frequentemente o escore de dor no plantão, e 64,0% referiu utilizar estratégias de alívio da dor. A maioria dos profissionais demonstrou conhecimento quanto ao manejo da dor, apesar de existirem lacunas. A aplicação das escalas e medidas de alívio da dor mostrou-se inadequada, seja pelo pouco uso, não utilização da melhor evidência disponível ou falta de registro

The objective of the study was to verify the knowledge and attitude of nursing professionals from a neonatal unit regarding assessment and treatment of acute procedural pain in newborns. We conducted an exploratory descriptive study with 26 nursing professionals from aneonatal unit at the Center-Western region of Brazil. Most professionals identified at least one assessment scale for neonatal pain (76.9%). Strategies to relieve pain chosen by professionals were decrease of noise and light (84.6%), kangaroo position (76.9%) and rocking (76.9%). Less than half (28.0%) of professionals affirmed to always or frequently register pain scores during their shift, and 64.0% referred to use pain relief strategies. Most professionals seemed knowledgeable regarding pain management despite of gaps. The application of scales and measures for pain relief seemed inadequate due to its little use, lack of use of the best evidence available or, by the lack of documentation.