Iran J Pediatr
-
Premature infants, who have to spend the first week of their lives in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), experience pain and stress in numerous cases, and they are exposed to many invasive interventions. The studies have shown that uncontrolled pain experienced during early life has negative and long-term side effects, such as distress, and such experiences negatively affect the development of the central nervous system. ⋯ The results demonstrated that EMLA was an effective method for reducing pain in premature newborns, and the use of instrumental touch for invasive intervention stimulated the pain perception in the newborns.