Pain assessment in the neonate using the Bernese Pain Scale for Neonates

• Published in: Early human development 2004-07, Vol.78 (2), p.125-131
• Main Authors: Cignacco, Eva, Mueller, Romano, Hamers, Jan P.H, Gessler, Peter
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Delivery. Postpartum. Lactation; Female; Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics; Humans; Infant Behavior - psychology; Infant, Newborn - psychology; Infant, Premature - psychology; Male; Maternal, fetal and perinatal monitoring; Medical sciences; Neonates; Pain - diagnosis; Pain assessment; Pain Measurement - methods; Pain Measurement - statistics & numerical data; Prematurity; Psychometrics - methods; Psychometrics - statistics & numerical data; Reproducibility of Results; Ventilation
• ISSN: 0378-3782; 1872-6232
• DOI: 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2004.04.001

Background: Neonates who require treatment in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) are subjected to many invasive painful procedures. Aims: Assessment of pain in preterm and term neonates with or without ventilation on continuous positive airway pressure using the Bernese Pain-Scale for Neonates (BPSN). The validity and the reliability of the BPSN was established. Study design and subjects: Pain assessments ( n=288) were performed by 6 health care workers in different situations of term and preterm neonates. Each neonate ( n=12) was observed in four given situations (after feeding, while a foot was being warmed, while a routine capillary blood sample was taken and 15 min after the blood sample was taken). Pain assessments were made by two nurses at the bedside using the BPSN, the Visual-Analogue Scale (VAS) and the Premature Infant Pain Profile (PIPP). At the same time, a video sequence was made which was shown later to four different nurses to assess pain using the BPSN, the PIPP, and the VAS. Results: The construct validity of the BPSN was very good ( F=41.3, p