Pain Management with ROP Position in Turkish Preterm Infants During Eye Examinations: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of infant positioning on pain, heart rate, oxygen saturation and crying time during examination. DESIGN & METHODS: The randomized controlled experimental study was carried out on 70 preterm infants. ROP position + pacifier was used in the experimental group (n = 35) while only the pacifier was used in the control group. Heart rates, oxygen saturation, crying duration and pain score (Premature Infant Pain Profile-PIPP) were evaluated before, during and after the screening. RESULTS: The preterm infants in the experimental group recorded lower pain scores at the beginning of the screening (p = 0.01), at the end of the screening (p = 0.01) and after screening (p = 0.01) than those in the control group. The heart rate was higher in the control group during screening (p = 0.010) and after screening (p = 0.008) than in the preterm infants in the experimental group. Oxygen saturation was not significantly different between the groups before, during or after screening. Crying duration was lower in the experimental group than in the control group (p = 0.010). CONCLUSIONS: Positioning of the infant to support behavioral organization was found to be effective in reducing pain and shortening crying time during eye examination, and had favorable effects on physiological variables with ROP position during eye examinations. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: ROP position is a practical and effective non-pharmacological method during eye examinations by neonatal nurses.

What do Neonatal Nurses Know and Feel About Pain Management During Retinopathy of Prematurity Examination: A Qualitative Research.

AIM: The purpose of this study was to determine feelings, pain-related knowledge, and pain management-related practices of neonatal intensive care nurses during the retinopathy of prematurity examination. METHOD: The descriptive qualitative research design was used. In the study, the individual in-depth interviews were conducted with nurses by using the interview form with semi-structured open-ended questions. The data were evaluated by using the MAXQDA12. RESULTS: Two main themes were formed as "neonatal pain" and "retinopathy of prematurity examination" in line with the thematic analysis. In the study, it was determined that the nurses were able to limitedly identify the pain-induced physiological and behavioral symptoms in newborns, could not evaluate the symptoms and levels of pain by using pain scales with proven validity and reliability. The results indicated that the nurses provided the care based on their observations rather than evidence-based knowledge in the pain management. CONCLUSION: Nurses should be informed through evidence-based training programs and supported to transfer the acquired knowledge into practice. And the results emphasizes that the subject of pain and pain management should be inserted in nursing education cirruculum.