Abstract
The purpose of this thesis is to provide a critical analysis of research findings about nonpharmacological techniques used independently of pharmacological techniques to prevent or reduce procedural pain for infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). A synthesis of the current research related to nonpharmacological pain relief techniques for infants was conducted for this thesis. Nonpharmacological interventions reviewed in this study include: Kangaroo Care, swaddling, facilitated tucking, positioning, music, non-nutritive sucking and sucrose. An interdisciplinary review of the research was performed using the interdisciplinary databases Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health, PubMED, and PsychINFO. Inclusion criteria for this thesis consists of research focused on preterm neonates (born less than] 37 weeks gestational age) in the neonatal intensive care unit, the use of nonpharmacological interventions for procedural analgesia, peer reviewed articles, and those written in the English language. This study excludes full term neonates due to the significant number of preterm neonates in the NICU. A total of 18 studies were included in this review. All interventions except for positioning show statistically significant evidence to support their use to reduce procedural pain in preterm neonates. Findings of this thesis may promote further studies and exploration into this field. In addition, this thesis establishes the role of the nurse in providing pain relief for infants in the NICU, as well as provide for enhancement of interdisciplinary care amongst other health care providers.
Notes
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Thesis Completion
2011
Semester
Spring
Advisor
Allred, Kelly
Degree
Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.)
College
College of Nursing
Degree Program
Nursing
Subjects
Dissertations, Academic -- Nursing;Nursing -- Dissertations, Academic
Format
Identifier
CFH0003777
Language
English
Access Status
Open Access
Length of Campus-only Access
None
Document Type
Honors in the Major Thesis
Recommended Citation
Flaherty, Lauren E., "Effectiveness of nonpharmacological techniques for procedural analgesia in the neonatal intensive care unit" (2011). HIM 1990-2015. 1125.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/honorstheses1990-2015/1125