Effect of Nonpharmacologic Pain Control During Examination for Retinopathy of Prematurity.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the effects of infant swaddling with oral administration of sucrose, swaddling with oral administration of breast milk, and swaddling with oral administration of distilled water (control) on pain perception in premature infants during a screening examination for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).

DESIGN: A prospective, randomized controlled design was used.

SETTING: The research was conducted in the NICU of a Level III university hospital in Istanbul.

PARTICIPANTS: Data were obtained from 87 premature infants (54% female) who were less than 32 weeks gestation and 1500 g body weight.

METHODS: The nonpharmacologic methods of swaddling with orally administered 0.2 ml of 24% sucrose, swaddling with orally administered breast milk, and swaddling with orally administered distilled water were implemented immediately before the ROP examination. The Premature Infant Pain Profile was used to evaluate pain. Means, standard deviations, and repeated-measures analysis of variance and one-way analysis of variance tests were used to evaluate pain score data.

RESULTS: For 72.4% of the infants, the experimental session was the first time they were examined for ROP. No significant differences in Premature Infant Pain Profile scores were found across the three groups.

CONCLUSION: Infant swaddlings with oral administration of sucrose or breast milk were no more effective than swaddling with oral administration of distilled water to reduce pain in premature infants during ROP examinations.