• Tarja Pölkki, Anne Korhonen, and Helena Laukkala.
• J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs. 2018 Jan 1; 47 (1): 43-51.

ObjectiveTo describe parents' use of nonpharmacologic methods to manage infant procedural pain in the NICU and determine the demographic factors related to such use.DesignA cross-sectional and descriptive study design.SettingLevel III and Level II NICUs (seven units) of four University Hospitals in Finland.ParticipantsParents (N = 178) whose infants were treated in Finnish NICUs.MethodsParents were asked to respond to a structured questionnaire during their infants' hospitalizations. We analyzed the data using the nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis of variance and Mann-Whitney U test.ResultsMost parents reported that they used physical methods, such as touching, holding, and positioning, nearly always/always (86%, 76%, and 55%, respectively). However, less commonly used strategies included recorded music (2%), breastfeeding (2%), and non-nutritive sucking with oral sucrose (6%). Many characteristics of the infants, such as their gestational ages and their conditions, were significantly related to the implementation of nonpharmacologic methods.ConclusionThere is a clear need to extend parents' use of nonpharmacologic methods to manage their infants' procedural pain in the NICU. Because many methods were not considered as pain-relieving strategies, it is important to increase knowledge about the effectiveness of these interventions among parents and nurses.Copyright © 2018 AWHONN, the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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