Training program for pain assessment in the newborn.

AIM: Pain management is correlated with pain assessment in the newborn infant. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of a 2-week training program composed of short (20min), repeated training sessions conducted in the unit. METHODS: Pain assessment was studied by means of audits. Each audit included data recorded from the newborn infant's medical charts on the day the infant was admitted to the unit and 3 days before the audit. An audit was performed before the training program and then repeated every month for 12 months. RESULTS: Eighty-eight (53.7%) members of the neonatology staff were trained during the 2-week training program. After the training program, pain assessment "at least once a day" increased by 39.0% and pain assessment "at least once a shift" increased by 21.5% compared to baseline (P<0.05). The effects of the training program were maintained after 12 months (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: A training program with short, repeated sessions conducted in the unit trained 53.7% of the neonatology staff and increased the frequency of pain assessment.