Pain in Neonates

All newborns experience pain during routine care, which can have long-lasting negative effects. Despite the availability of effective methods to prevent and reduce pain, most infants will receive ineffective or no treatment . Optimal pain management includes the reduction of the number of procedures performed, routine pain assessment and the use of effective pain-reducing interventions, most notably breastfeeding, skin-to-skin contact and sweet-tasting solutions. Parents are an essential component of the comprehensive assessment and management of infant pain; however, a gap exists regarding the uptake of parent-led interventions and the engagement of families. Practice recommendations for infant pain care are discussed.