Nurses' Assessment of Pain in Saudi Neonatal Intensive Care Units

Background

Research reveals that neonatal pain management in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) is suboptimal. There is limited research that assessed NICU nurses’ pain assessment practices in Saudi Arabia.

Aim

To assess the nurses’ pain assessment practices in the NICU in Saudi Arabia.

Design

This study used a descriptive cross-sectional design.

Settings

Research was conducted using an online survey.

Participants/Subjects

This study was carried out on 65 NICU nurses. The participants were recruited from one governmental and one private hospital in Saudi Arabia.

Methods

Data on pain assessment practices were collected, including the frequency of pain assessment, pain assessment scales used for preterm and term neonates, and pain assessment documentation. Data were analyzed using frequencies and percentages.

Results

The majority of the participants (94%) routinely assessed pain and documented pain assessment (97%). One-third of the participants assessed pain regularly every hour (32%). The most used pain assessment scales for term neonates were the neonatal infant pain scale (40%) and the cry, required oxygen, increased vital signs, expression, and sleeplessness scale (23%). The most used pain assessment scales for preterm neonates were the neonatal infant pain scale (31%), the cry, required oxygen, increased vital signs, expression, sleeplessness scale (19%), and the premature infant pain profile (17%).

Conclusions

NICU nurses in Saudi Arabia consistently assessed for and documented pain; however, the tools chosen were sometimes suboptimal. A substantial number of NICU nurses used invalid tools to assess pain in term and preterm neonates. An interventional program is needed to enhance the use of evidence-based practice recommendations regarding neonatal pain assessment by nurses in the Neonatal Intensive Care Units in Saudi Arabia.