Parental intentions and requests to provide pain care for their infants in neonatal intensive care units

PurposeThe Japan Association of Neonatal Nursing evaluated the pain care provided by parents to their infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). However, further collaborations with families based on family-centered care are necessary to clarify the parental intentions and requests...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Aya Shimizu, Takeshi Arimitsu, Kana Harada, Mio Ozawa
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-01-01
Series:Frontiers in Pediatrics
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fped.2024.1512917/full
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1841561060686954496
author Aya Shimizu
Takeshi Arimitsu
Kana Harada
Mio Ozawa
author_facet Aya Shimizu
Takeshi Arimitsu
Kana Harada
Mio Ozawa
author_sort Aya Shimizu
collection DOAJ
description PurposeThe Japan Association of Neonatal Nursing evaluated the pain care provided by parents to their infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). However, further collaborations with families based on family-centered care are necessary to clarify the parental intentions and requests regarding pain care for their infants. This study aimed to describe the experiences and content of nonpharmacological pain care provided by parents to their infants, the intentions and requests of parents regarding each type of recommended pain care (irrespective of whether they had provided pain care at the NICU), and the reasons for their hesitation to implement specific pain management methods.MethodsA total of 108 parents with NICU-hospitalized infants, including 66 (65.6%) infants with a birth weight of <1,000 g, voluntarily responded to an anonymous self-administered online electronic survey. Sociodemographic and clinical data were quantitatively analyzed.ResultsIn our study population, 30.6% (N = 33) had provided pain care to their infants, 56.5% (N = 61) hoped to provide pain care in the future, and 40.7% (N = 44) expected advice for pain care options from healthcare professionals (HCPs). Swaddling, facilitated tucking, and skin-to-skin contact were the most popular options (≥60%). By contrast, the use of sucrose and breastfeeding (both 13.0%), skin-to-skin contact (7%), and use of expressed breast milk and non-nutritive sucking (both 3.7%) were less frequently used due to indifference or doubts, lack of knowledge about pain care, differences between recommended pain care methods and parental values, and pain care methods being inappropriate for the child's condition.ConclusionsThis survey demonstrated that when parents provide pain care for their children in the NICU, they are required to make choices based on the advice and knowledge offered by HCPs, taking into account the diverse values of parents as well as the overall condition of their infant and their breastfeeding status. Therefore, we suggest that HCPs support parents in choosing not only the recommended care but also the most appropriate pain care for the condition of their infant.
format Article
id doaj-art-c0b5ed33576146999ba210dcb1a824c1
institution Kabale University
issn 2296-2360
language English
publishDate 2025-01-01
publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
record_format Article
series Frontiers in Pediatrics
spelling doaj-art-c0b5ed33576146999ba210dcb1a824c12025-01-03T06:46:52ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Pediatrics2296-23602025-01-011210.3389/fped.2024.15129171512917Parental intentions and requests to provide pain care for their infants in neonatal intensive care unitsAya Shimizu0Takeshi Arimitsu1Kana Harada2Mio Ozawa3Maternal Nursing and Midwifery, Graduate School of Nursing, Osaka Metropolitan University, Habikino, Osaka, JapanDepartment of Pediatrics, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, JapanToho University Omori Medical Center, Tokyo, JapanDivision of Nursing Science, Graduate School of Biomedical & Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, JapanPurposeThe Japan Association of Neonatal Nursing evaluated the pain care provided by parents to their infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). However, further collaborations with families based on family-centered care are necessary to clarify the parental intentions and requests regarding pain care for their infants. This study aimed to describe the experiences and content of nonpharmacological pain care provided by parents to their infants, the intentions and requests of parents regarding each type of recommended pain care (irrespective of whether they had provided pain care at the NICU), and the reasons for their hesitation to implement specific pain management methods.MethodsA total of 108 parents with NICU-hospitalized infants, including 66 (65.6%) infants with a birth weight of <1,000 g, voluntarily responded to an anonymous self-administered online electronic survey. Sociodemographic and clinical data were quantitatively analyzed.ResultsIn our study population, 30.6% (N = 33) had provided pain care to their infants, 56.5% (N = 61) hoped to provide pain care in the future, and 40.7% (N = 44) expected advice for pain care options from healthcare professionals (HCPs). Swaddling, facilitated tucking, and skin-to-skin contact were the most popular options (≥60%). By contrast, the use of sucrose and breastfeeding (both 13.0%), skin-to-skin contact (7%), and use of expressed breast milk and non-nutritive sucking (both 3.7%) were less frequently used due to indifference or doubts, lack of knowledge about pain care, differences between recommended pain care methods and parental values, and pain care methods being inappropriate for the child's condition.ConclusionsThis survey demonstrated that when parents provide pain care for their children in the NICU, they are required to make choices based on the advice and knowledge offered by HCPs, taking into account the diverse values of parents as well as the overall condition of their infant and their breastfeeding status. Therefore, we suggest that HCPs support parents in choosing not only the recommended care but also the most appropriate pain care for the condition of their infant.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fped.2024.1512917/fullneonatal intensive care unitnonpharmacological pain careparentspreterm infantsfamily-centered care
spellingShingle Aya Shimizu
Takeshi Arimitsu
Kana Harada
Mio Ozawa
Parental intentions and requests to provide pain care for their infants in neonatal intensive care units
Frontiers in Pediatrics
neonatal intensive care unit
nonpharmacological pain care
parents
preterm infants
family-centered care
title Parental intentions and requests to provide pain care for their infants in neonatal intensive care units
title_full Parental intentions and requests to provide pain care for their infants in neonatal intensive care units
title_fullStr Parental intentions and requests to provide pain care for their infants in neonatal intensive care units
title_full_unstemmed Parental intentions and requests to provide pain care for their infants in neonatal intensive care units
title_short Parental intentions and requests to provide pain care for their infants in neonatal intensive care units
title_sort parental intentions and requests to provide pain care for their infants in neonatal intensive care units
topic neonatal intensive care unit
nonpharmacological pain care
parents
preterm infants
family-centered care
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fped.2024.1512917/full
work_keys_str_mv AT ayashimizu parentalintentionsandrequeststoprovidepaincarefortheirinfantsinneonatalintensivecareunits
AT takeshiarimitsu parentalintentionsandrequeststoprovidepaincarefortheirinfantsinneonatalintensivecareunits
AT kanaharada parentalintentionsandrequeststoprovidepaincarefortheirinfantsinneonatalintensivecareunits
AT mioozawa parentalintentionsandrequeststoprovidepaincarefortheirinfantsinneonatalintensivecareunits