Pain in newborn: humanization of neonatal care

Abstract

In the daily practice of neonatal unit (NU) the newborns are subjected to procedures and therapeutic interventions that cause pain, some children born with extreme prematurity, sometimes requiring up to two months of ventilatory management and procedures such as percutaneous catheters, vascular access, suction of secretions, besides the constant daily removal of adhesive tapes that hurt the skin, are exposed infants up to 3 painful procedures. The attendance of these children is basically aimed at the treatment of pathologies; however, care should be holistic, fulfilling their needs in all its aspects. Today we know from behavorial and physiologic indicators, that the pain is present in them and must be prevented and treated to avoid suffering and its harmful effects resulting from physiological changes, hormonal and biological agents that can reprogram the nervous system development, attributed to central nociceptive perception of infants. The treatment of neonatal pain should be multidisciplinary, by doctors, nurses and relatives, as well as drug treatment, is very useful to use non-pharmacological thecniques such as mother-infant contact.