Effects of breastfeeding on pain relief in full-term newborns.

UNLABELLED: Breastfeeding may be useful for relieving procedural pain experienced by neonates. Researchers have compared breastfeeding against other pain relieving approaches in several studies, presenting marked methodologic heterogeneity. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effectiveness of breastfeeding in reducing pain in newborns undergoing blood collection for newborn screening. METHOD: The sample of this randomized clinical trial study consisted of 60 full-term newborns: 31 in the experimental group and 29 in the control group. The experimental group was breastfed 5 minutes before, during, and for 5 minutes after the blood collection procedure. Neonates in the control group were held in mothers' arms but not fed or given a soother. The duration of breastfeeding was prolonged in comparison to previous studies. RESULTS: The primary outcomes were Neonatal Facial Actions (Neonatal Facial Activity Coding System-upper face), sleep-wake state. Heart rate was considered as an index of arousal. Sucking frequency was only evaluated in the experimental group. Compared with the control group, the experimental group had significantly lower, Neonatal Facial Activity Coding System and sleep-wake state scores and heart rates changes. In the experimental group sucking frequency was highest during the first 5 minutes of breastfeeding before the procedure. DISCUSSION: This study innovates from earlier studies in 4 respects: the different phases of the procedure were evaluated separately; the breastfeeding intervention covered the period from 5 minutes before the blood collection until the end of recovery; sleep-wake state was fully assessed (not merely crying) and the sucking frequency in the experimental group was assessed during the procedure. The conclusion was that breastfeeding was effective in reducing pain caused by blood collection for newborn screening.

Health follow-up of children in poverty situation: between the routine and eventuality of daily care.

This study aimed to identify how child care is delivered to children under two in their daily routine. Based on a qualitative approach, the study addresses the care site in the child care, through non-structured interviews with mothers and professionals from two health units in peripheral areas of Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil. Results point aspects of how professionals view the mothers and their families, how the child's health, the routine and eventuality of care are followed. Adherence is important in the child's follow up, the longitudinality of care and, mainly, the concern with the mothers' and families' values. Child care in primary health care has a contingency character; it must deal with eventuality, uncertainty and events linked to experiences, integrating practical and technical knowledge.

The participation of parents in the care of premature children in a neonatal unit: meanings attributed by the health team.

This qualitative study aims to identify and analyze the meanings the health team attributes to the parents' participation in the care of premature children hospitalized at a public hospital. Data were recorded and collected through semi-structured interviews performed with 23 professionals. The results show that parents' participation in the care of these children is still in an initial stage at the hospital's neonatal unit. However, there is interest from the health team to implement it because its importance is recognized in improving the clinical stability, the growth and development process of premature children. In addition to allowing for mother-child interaction and affective bonding, it prepares the mother for the child's discharge. The presence of the mother helps the nursing team by giving maternal care to the hospitalized child. On the other hand, the parents' presence interferes in the environment of the neonatal unit. It affects the work dynamics and creates insecurity among team workers, who feel supervised. Besides, there is concern regarding hospital infection. Thus, in accordance with other studies from different countries, these meanings entail reflections on the need to base the premature care in terms of collectively building a care philosophy that restores concepts of human rights, citizenship, bonding and mother-child attachment, pediatric psychology and also expands the concept of training for a participative health education.

La enseñanza de la informática en enfermería / The teaching of the informatic in nursing

Este estudio fue realizado en la Escuela de Enfermería de Ribeirao Preto, de la Universidad de Sâo Paulo y relata una experiencia sobre la enseñanza de la informática a alumnos de enfermería. Se aplicó un cuestionario a 108 alumnos matriculados en el curso "Introducción a la informática aplicada a la salud" en los años 1989-1991. Los resultados encontrados fueron favorables al contenido del curso, los alumnos de 1989 refirieron que la informática debía ser enseñada en carácter de optativo sin embargo en 1991 los alumnos revelaron una fuerte predominancia en cuanto a su obligatoriedad