The Journal of perinatal & neonatal nursing
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Pain in children has been historically undertreated for a variety of reasons, including the complexity of pain assessment, inadequate research and training, and assumptions concerning pain. Lack of consistency in pain assessment and personal attitudes about pain have been identified as concerns in the NICU population. Some of the factors that are thought to affect caregivers include personal experience with pain and the idea that some procedures are more painful than others. ⋯ A variety of factors complicates the observation of neonates in an NICU. Premature birth, range of physiologic stability, the level of activity in the environment, and other possible sources of discomfort may confuse or blunt observations. While this observational design was difficult, it succeeded in delineating behaviors associated with a painful stimulus that provides a basis for further study.