Pediatric research
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Procedural pain is underestimated in hospitalized preterm infants. The aim of this study was to assess the reliability, validity, and clinical utility of the Neonatal Facial Coding System (NFCS), Douleur Aiguë du Nouveau-né (DAN) scale, Neonatal Infant Pain Scale (NIPS), and Premature Infant Pain Profile (PIPP) in premature infants undergoing heel blood collection. We assume that the four scales were similar in reliablility and validity (but different in clinical utility). ⋯ The aim of this study was to assess the reliability, validity, and clinical utility of NFCS, DAN, NIPS, and PIPP in premature infants undergoing heel blood collection. The results showed that the four scales have high reliability and internal consistency; the PIPP and NIPS have good clinical utility and are better choice for evaluating procedural pain in premature infants. Our study results provided a reference for clinical workers in choosing pain assessment scales and conduction intervention.