Nurses' Knowledge And Practices On Neonatal Pain Management
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63682/jns.v14i9S.3162Keywords:
Neonatal pain, pain management, NICU, pain assessment, nursing practicesAbstract
Neonates frequently experience pain due to medical interventions such as venipunctures, mechanical ventilation, and surgical procedures. Nurses in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) play a crucial role in neonatal pain management, yet gaps in knowledge, inconsistent pain assessment practices, and poor adherence to standardized protocols persist. This study aimed to evaluate NICU nurse's knowledge and practices regarding neonatal pain management, assess the utilization of validated pain assessment tools, and identify barriers that hinder effective pain relief measures. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in selected tertiary care hospitals with 150 NICU nurses using a validated structured questionnaire and a researcher-designed observational checklist. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS (Version 22), employing descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests, independent t-tests, and ANOVA to examine differences across multiple groups. The findings revealed moderate awareness among nurses (mean knowledge score: 7.26 ± 1.99, 95% CI: 7.1–7.9), yet 60% relied on personal judgment rather than validated pain assessment tools. Non-pharmacological pain relief strategies were utilized by 58% of nurses, while 60% employed pharmacological interventions, with only 48% adhering to hospital protocols. The study identified three primary barriers: insufficient training (40%), time constraints (35%), and lack of standardized pain assessment tools (25%). These findings emphasize the urgent need for structured training programs, standardized pain assessment tools, and policy improvements in NICUs. Future research should explore intervention-based studies, technological advancements in pain assessment, and comparative analyses across diverse healthcare settings to further improve neonatal pain management strategies.
Downloads
Metrics
References
Mekonen, W. M., Muhye, A. B., & Gobeza, M. B. (2024). Nurses′ knowledge and practice about neonatal pain management in public hospitals in West Oromia, Ethiopia, 2022: a multi-centered cross-sectional study. BMC nursing, 23(1), 292.
Popowicz, H., Mędrzycka-Dąbrowska, W., Kwiecień-Jaguś, K., & Kamedulska, A. (2021, January). Knowledge and practices in neonatal Pain Management of nurses employed in hospitals with different levels of Referral—Multicenter Study. In Healthcare (Vol. 9, No. 1, p. 48). MDPI.
Wari, G., Wordofa, B., Alemu, W., & Habte, T. (2021). Knowledge and practice of nurses and associated factors in managing neonatal pain at selected public hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2020. Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare, 2275-2286.
Peng, N. H., Lee, M. C., Su, W. L., Lee, C. H., Chen, C. H., Chang, Y. C., & Huang, C. H. (2021). Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of neonatal professionals regarding pain management. European journal of pediatrics, 180, 99-107.
Khoza, S. L. (2014). Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of neonatal staff concerning neonatal pain management. curationis, 37(2), 1-9.
Lago, P., Garetti, E., Savant Levet, P., Arenga, I., Pirelli, A., Frigo, A. C., ... & on behalf Pain Study Group of Italian Society of Neonatology. (2025). Current practices in neonatal pain management: a decade after the last Italian survey. Italian Journal of Pediatrics, 51(1), 48.
Seipajærvi, A. L., Simonsen, G. R., Börner, F., & Smeland, A. H. (2025). Nurses’ Knowledge and Attitudes About Pain Management in Pediatric Surgical Wards: An Educational Intervention Study. Pain Management Nursing, 26(1), e42-e49.
Feng, L., Jing, J., Shi, M., Tang, B., & Xie, L. (2025). Facilitators and barriers to parental involvement in neonatal pain management in the NICU: a scoping review. BMJ open, 15(1), e085881.
Kebede, S. M., Degefa, M., Getachew, T., Lami, M., Tadesse, B., & Bekele, H. (2024). Neonatal pain management practice in the neonatal intensive care unit of public hospitals: a survey of healthcare providers in eastern Ethiopia. International Health, 16(6), 625-635.
Ismail, A., & Ali, A. (2025). Neonatal nurses' knowledge and use of non-pharmacological pain management interventions in Saudi Arabia. Journal of Neonatal Nursing, 31(1), 210-215.
Abebe, M. T., Tegegne, K. T., Shiferaw, D. A., Gonete, Y. A., Kebede, Y. A., Fetene, J. C., ... & Agimas, M. C. (2024). Knowledge and practice of pediatric pain management and associated factors among nurses in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC nursing, 23(1), 848.
Urmale, A., Getie, A., Degeifa, N., & Bante, A. (2024). Neonatal Pain Management Practice and Associated Factors among Nurses Working in Public Hospitals of Southern Ethiopia: A Multicenter Cross-sectional Study.
Ongori, D., & Okiri, T. (2024). DETERMINANTS OF NEONATAL PAIN MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AMONG NURSES WORKING IN NEONATAL CARE UNITS IN WESTERN KENYA HOSPITALS. Nurse and Health: Jurnal Keperawatan, 13(2), 171-180.
Popowicz, H., Mędrzycka-Dąbrowska, W., Kwiecień-Jaguś, K., & Kamedulska, A. (2021, January). Knowledge and practices in neonatal Pain Management of nurses employed in hospitals with different levels of Referral—Multicenter Study. In Healthcare (Vol. 9, No. 1, p. 48). MDPI.
Carlsen Misic, M., Andersen, R. D., Strand, S., Eriksson, M., & Olsson, E. (2021). Nurses' perception, knowledge, and use of neonatal pain assessment. Pediatric and Neonatal Pain, 3(2), 59-65.
Roga, E. Y., Bulto, G. A., Moti, B. E., Demisse, G. A., & Ejeta, M. T. (2023). Low neonatal pain management practices and associated factors among nurses and midwives working in governmental hospitals of central Ethiopia, 2021. Journal of Neonatal Nursing, 29(5), 760-766.
McNair, C., Christian, N., Uleryk, E., Stevens, B., McAllister, M., Franck, L. S., ... & Shah, V. (2022). Effectiveness of parental education about pain in the neonatal period on knowledge, attitudes, and practices: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Paediatrics & Child Health, 27(8), 454-463.
Moura, D. M., & Souza, T. P. B. D. (2021). Knowledge of the neonatal intensive care unit nursing team about newborn pain. BrJP, 4, 204-209.
Tagele, T. D., Berhe, Y. W., & Lema, G. F. (2023). Knowledge and attitude towards pediatric pain management among nurses at Ethiopian tertiary hospitals; a multi-center study. BMC nursing, 22(1), 84.
Ikechukwu, O., Angela, O., & Augustine, O. (2023). Neonatal pain perception, management and review of practices among medical workers in Nigeria newborn units. African Health Sciences, 23(1), 678-85.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
You are free to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
Terms:
- Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
