Paternal vs Maternal Holding-Cuddling for Procedural Pain in Healthy Term Neonates
Condition: Procedural Pain
MeSH terms: Pain, Procedural
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      This study investigated the effect of maternal holding-cuddling (MHC) and paternal
      holding-cuddling (PHC) on heel prick pain and crying duration in healthy term neonates
    

Detailed description: 
      Newborns undergo many painful procedures. The heel prick, or heel lancing, is a painful
      procedure used for newborn screening tests. It is a more painful procedure than other
      venipuncture procedures. All pediatricians and healthcare professionals working with neonates
      should focus on pain management during heel pricks for two reasons. First, they are under an
      ethical obligation to help neonates experience as little pain as possible during medical
      procedures. Second, repeated painful exposure has harmful consequences. The International
      Guide to Pediatric Anesthesia (Good Practice in Postoperative and Procedural Pain) also
      recommends pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods to prevent and effectively manage
      acute procedural pain in children. However, pharmacological methods for pain management in
      neonates may have some side effects. On the other hand, non-pharmacological methods are easy
      to use, affordable, and time-effective methods with no side effects. Healthcare professionals
      do not use non-pharmacological methods that are expensive, hard to apply, and time-consuming.
      Therefore, this study focused on maternal holding-cuddling and paternal holding-cuddling as
      alternative non-pharmacological methods to prevent procedural pain in neonates during heel
      pricks. Holding-cuddling is an effective non-pharmacological method for reducing procedural
      pain.
    

Intervention name(s): Holding
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Holding is an effective non-pharmacological method for reducing procedural pain. Minor painful procedures, such as heel pricks, are easy to use, practical, non-invasive, and affordable procedures when performed when the neonate is held/cuddled by one of its parents. Neonates held/cuddled by their mothers are likely to experience less pain and cry less during heel pricks. The MHC and PHC methods help neonates experience tactile, auditory, visual, and olfactory sensory inputs that can enhance analgesic effects. These multisensory methods can alleviate the pain experienced by the infant during minor painful procedures and shorten the crying time. This type of analgesia may be mediated by multisensory stimulation associated with the mother/father-infant attachment.
Allocation: Non-Randomized
Intervention model: Sequential Assignment
Intervention model description: Participants were recruited using random sampling. The group assignment was determined using the closed envelope method. Therefore, data were collected first from the MHC group, followed by the PHC and control groups.
Masking: Triple (Participant, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Supportive Care
Keywords: Healthy infant; Parent participation; Procedural pain