Purpose: This study was done to provide data for a nursing intervention to alleviate newborn pain clinically by investigating the effect of oral glucose.
Methods: Subjects were newborns hospitalized in the nursery. Informed consent was obtained from parents of 60 newborns. A heel stick was carried out for a test on 3 groups; the experimental, placebo, and control group. The Neonatal infant pain scale(NIPS), respiration rate, heart rate, peripheral oxygen partial pressure(SpO2), and crying duration were measured to assess pain reaction. All neonatal behaviors were recorded on videotape.
Results: There were significant differences in pain behavior during stimulus(F=4.195, p=.020), pain behavior immediately after blood-sampling (F=4.114, p=.021), and pain behavior 3 minutes after that (F=3.630, p=.033). However, there were no significant differences in heart rate, respiration rate, peripheral oxygen partial pressure or crying duration after the heel stick among the groups.
Conclusions: Oral administration of glucose before a heel stick caused the reduction of neonatal pain behavior, which means that it has an effect of pain relief.