Multisensory stimulation to reduce procedural pain in retinopathy of prematurity: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Retinopathy is frequently seen in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), and its examination is a painful procedure for infants.

Aim: This randomized active-controlled trial aimed to investigate the impact of multisensory stimulation (MSS) on neonatal pain during retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) examinations, in comparison with a white noise (WN) and control group receiving standard care.

Study design: Conducted as a three-arm, randomized controlled trial, the study was implemented in the NICU of a local university hospital. Recruitment spanned from July 2023 to November 2023, with preterm infants (gestational age < 37 weeks) randomly assigned to either a MSS, WN or a control group. MSS components included visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory and gustatory stimuli, all designed to create a synergistic, comforting environment for the infant during the procedure. Procedural pain, heart rate and oxygen saturation were assessed at various stages before and after ROP examinations.

Results: Analysis of 90 participants revealed that the MSS group exhibited lower Premature Infant Pain Profile (PIPP) scores than the WN and control groups (mean difference: -2.12, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -2.62 to -1.62; odds ratio [OR]: 0.004, 95% CI [0.001, 0.012], p < 0.001). Additionally, heart rates were significantly lower in the MSS group (mean difference: -15.3 beats/min, 95% CI: -20.5 to -10.1; OR: 0.025, 95% CI [0.008, 0.073], p < .001) and oxygen saturation levels were higher (mean difference: 3.2%, 95% CI: 1.8% to 4.6%; OR: 1.12, 95% CI [1.05, 1.20], p < .001) than in the other groups.

Conclusions: MSS emerges as a favourable, safe and non-pharmacological intervention for pain management in ROP and similar procedures.

Relevance to clinical practice: Multisensory stimulation can be effectively integrated into the routine care provided by critical care nurses during retinopathy of prematurity examinations in preterm infants. This non-pharmacological intervention offers a practical approach for critical care nurses to reduce procedural pain and improve physiological stability in this vulnerable population.