Non-pharmacological management in a neonatal intensive care unit- a systematic review

Introduction: For many years it was thought that newborn babies could not feel pain due to their incomplete nervous system. Since 1980, there has been a revolution in the understanding of neonatal pain and more concern about this issue. Newborns (NBs) hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit are commonly exposed to numerous stressful and painful events capable of causing physiological and behavioral disorganization. The reduction and prevention of these stimuli through non-pharmacological measures are essential to avoid harmful effects in the short and long term. Many studies address non-pharmacological management in the neonatal ICU; however, there is still doubt about the effectiveness of these methods. The objective of this study is evaluating the effectiveness of non-pharmacological methods used in the NICU to manage newborns.