Nurse Key

2   Methods of Assessing Pain in the Newborn Assessing neonatal pain appropriately is a vital step in providing adequate management of pain. Accurate assessment of pain is challenging in…

3   General Principles of Pain ­Management There are several different pharmacological options used to treat neonates who are experiencing pain or undergoing a painful procedure. These treatments generally involve…

8   Developmental Considerations Developmental considerations are imperative in delivering ­comprehensive and safe care to neonates in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Developmental considerations are not only necessary when…

12   The Premature Infant Identifying behavioral and physiological cues of pain in ­premature infants, as well as managing that pain, presents unique ­challenges. The premature infant is defined as…

7   Nonpharmacological Methods SUCROSE Oral sucrose,1 given 2 minutes prior to a painful procedure, has been shown to decrease heart rate, facial movement, and pain scores in term and…

5   Opioids Opioids are a class of drug that promotes decreased pain ­perception and decreases the reaction to pain; the drug class that includes morphine or morphine sulfate, methadone,…

6   Coanalgesics Coanalgesics, or adjuvant medications, are a group of pharmaceuticals with pharmacological characteristics that were not primarily intended for pain relief but were found to have therapeutic properties…

13   Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Neonatal drug withdrawal or neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) is often a long a painful process that requires time in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU)….

9   Multidisciplinary Approach A multidisciplinary approach that includes the physician, registered nurse, physician assistant, advanced practice nurse, and, most important, the family members is imperative in ­providing comprehensive pain…