The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Special care and attention must be given to infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) because of their small size and the health complications they face. One particular challenge faced by health care professionals in the NICU is the management of pain for preterm babies. Preterm infants must undergo a wide range of tests, procedures, and, often, life-saving measures during their hospitalizations, which not only subjects them to pain, but pain-related stress and anxiety. This has an impact on the infants themselves, as well as on the family members and friends who are involved in their care (Smith, Steelfisher, Salhi, & Shen, 2012). The purpose of this paper is to examine the problem of pain management among preterm NICU patients and propose the implementation of kangaroo care as a pain management technique.

In a study conducted by Hatfield and Young (2007), 1,727 procedures such as venipuncture, intravenous (IV) catheter placement, intramuscular (IM) injections, urinary catheterizations, and nasogastric tube placement in 1,210 children have been reviewed. Their findings reveal that almost none of the patients received pain management. Although traumatic for the patient, these procedures are considered to be minor by many nurses, and the culture of pain management has not been seen as the standard of care (Hatfield & Young, 2007). Nursing staff is encouraged to change the culture by embracing their role as patient advocate. Every patient deserves a triage pain assessment with ongoing assessments as necessary. Pain control measures must be implemented prior to beginning potentially painful procedures. Discussion must take place between the parents and healthcare staff in order to deliver the best comfort measures on a case-by-case basis.

I was induced to the medical field due to my early exposure to health implications due to one of my family members. My first-born nephew was improperly diagnosed and was discharged from the hospital the day he was born. It was not until eighteen days later that I noticed his abnormal breathing. As soon as I became aware of his condition, my nephew was quickly rushed to the hospital. However, it was too late. The physician in charge notified us that he was in coma and needed to undergo heart surgery. The only problem we were now encountering with was not having access to a bed that my nephew needed to prepare him for surgery. UCLA was the only nearest hospital who had the bed he needed, but all beds were full at the time. As soon as we had the

After earning his doctor of medicine from the Medical College of Georgia, Dr. Allen Cherer undertook an internship and a residency in pediatrics through the University of Louisville School of Medicine/Kosair Children's Hospital. He holds certification through the American Board of Pediatrics and the Sub-Board of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine. Dr. Allen Cherer is also official educational provider through the Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP).

The neonatal unit is a unit that is designed to take care of premature infants. The nurses are not only taking care of the infants but also the parents. While parents have children in the neonatal unit their stress level is much higher. When a mother gives birth to her and her spouse’s child, she is experiencing

As neonatologists routinely coordinate the care of their patients with several other healthcare specialists such as obstetricians, attending physicians, pediatricians, nurse practitioners, and even family physicians regarding treatment and care options for conditions affecting newborns, it is imperative that neonatology medical coders be adept at researching,

Pediatric pain management is measured subjectively because it is based off of what the patient says or how the nurse interprets the pain scale. Pain is rated using different scales, unfortunately these different scales could yield different results. Nurses are trained to use pediatric pain scales to analyze and treat pain but parents are not supplied with the tools to manage pain when the patient goes home. With 84% of all pediatric surgical procedures performed on an outpatient basis, the importance of teaching parents how to assess for and manage pain has become more important than ever (Rony, Fortier, Chorney, Perret, & Kain, 2010). According to Rony’s et al. (2010) study, it is apparent that pediatric pain is not being treated effectively. The study showed that 58.8% of children were receiving less than the daily recommended does prescribed by the pediatrician (p.1). Results of the study also showed that parents had false assessments on if their child was actually in pain. 36% of parents believed that if their child was in pain, they would cry out for the parent , 30% agreed that their child would always tell them if they are in pain, while 22% said that the child would report their pain immediately (Rony, Fortier, Chorney, Perret, & Kain, 2010, ). Children do not always verbalize when they are in pain. Sometimes the pain can be so intense that a child is unable to talk. If the child catches on to the parents negative perception of pain medications, the child may not

Newborn intensive care is care for critically ill newborns requiring constant nursing, complicated surgical procedures, regular respiratory support, or other intensive interventions. An infant is considered premature if he or she is born before 37 weeks of gestation and weighs less than 2,500 grams (g). A very low birth weight (VLBW) infant is a child born weighing under 1,500 g

Pharmacological comfort measures can provide partial or complete pain relief. The epidural is the most efficient way of reducing labor pain. Opioids can be given continuously or in intermittent doses at the patient 's request or through the patient controlled pump. There is the potential for these drugs to have some effect on the fetus, such as breathing difficulties that may require assistance through the use of Narcan. Providing pain relief during the labor process is solely the patient’s choice, and as the nurse only support and encouragement should be given for however she chooses to handle the pain. (Jansen, Gibson, Bowles, & Leach, 2013)

Infants within the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) are one of the most vulnerable patient population in the hospital. The quality and safety of these patients are at top priority because of their immune systems have not fully developed yet causing them to be at the highest risk for infections. According to the Institute of Medicine (IOM, 2001), quality is defined as “the degree to which health services for individuals and populations increase the likelihood of desired health outcomes and are consistent with current professional knowledge” (Masters, 2005). The Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) defines safety as, “the minimization of risk of harm to patients and

The study sought to improve patient care in three areas. The first area was improving pain assessment documentation by introducing a standardized pediatric assessment. The second area was decreasing the time the patient received pain medication. The last area was evaluating the effect of the nursing intervention in reducing the pediatric patient’s pain at discharge via a pain scale. This study was conducted at a 35 bed level 2 emergency department in the United States. A total of 1200 EMRs were collected from pediatric patients ranging from 3 months to 6 years in age (Ramira et al., 2016, p. 43). Half of the cases were review before the

Childbirth is a beautiful thing. After the hours of labor, there is nothing more special than having the newly mother able to hold her child the minute after it’s born. It makes the pain that you had just experienced go away because all that matters in the world is that newborn child in your arms. During labor, every woman has her own experience but one common experience is the pain. According to Kitzinger (1978) “Labor pain can have negative or positive meaning, depending on whether the child is wanted, the interaction of the laboring woman with those attending her, her sense of ease or dis-ease in the environment provided for birth, her relationship with the father of her child and her attitude to her body throughout the reproductive

Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the different forms of pain management used during childbirth.

Nurses working within the neonatal unit require a particular set of skills to adequately fulfil their roles and responsibilities within this fragile setting. The role of a neonatal nurse is to provide intensive nursing care to an infant who has inherited complications at birth due to varied reasons (Tubs-Colley, Pickler, Younger, & Mark, 2015). These complications often manifest as undeveloped internal organs that make simple bodily functions such as breathing and regulating body temperature incredibly difficult. The neonatal nurse provides close monitoring and extremely individualized care per patient to stabilise and further develop these body systems artificially post-uterine (Drozdowicz & Dillard, 2014).

At one time doctors did not believe that babies could experience pain, but recent studies have proven this to be wrong. Infants can feel touch, this is why when you touch them they turn their head and look at you. Because they can feel touch they can also feel pain. This was found because infants cry when being given a shot or having blood taken. They are able to feel pain like we are, they are just much more resilient in recovering than we are.