Nuttaya Angkhaprasertkul. The effects of expressed breast milk on pain responses to heel stick in full-term neonates. Master's Degree(Pediatric Nursing). Mahidol University. : Mahidol University, 2008.
The effects of expressed breast milk on pain responses to heel stick in full-term neonates
Abstract:
The objective of this experimental research was to investigate the effects of
expressed breast milk on pain responses to heel stick in full-term neonates. Study
subjects were 60 full-term neonates with a gestation period of 37-41 weeks. They
were all healthy with neonatal screening who received heel stick at the nursery unit of
Bangkok Hospital Medical Center, Bangkok. Data were collected from March to May
2008. All subjects were randomly assigned into either control or experimental groups.
Two minutes before the heel stick, 30 neonates in the intervention received 5 ml
expressed breast milk, while 30 neonates in the control group received 5 ml of
distilled water, as a placebo. Behavioral pain was assessed by neonates facial
expressions, based on the Neonatal Facial Coding System translated into Thai by
Pattama Kacome (1997). Physiological changes (heart rate and oxygen saturation)
were measured by the pulse oximeter. All responses were recorded on a video camera
so that the picture and time of the experiment were accurate. General data of the
subjects were analyzed by using frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation.
The effects of expressed breast milk on facial expression, heart rate and oxygen
saturation levels were analyzed by Independent Samples t-test. The results of this
study are as follows: The NFCS at the immediately afterwards, 1-minute and 3-
minute after heel stick were significantly lower (P<.001) in the expressed breast milk
group than in the distilled water group. The change in heart rate and oxygen saturation
were significantly higher in the expressed breast milk group than the distilled water
group. Therefore, the researcher recommends that nurses should use expressed breast
milk to relieve pain from heel stick among neonates who cannot receive breast
feeding.