The effect of maternal voice and non-nutritional sucking on repeated procedural pain of heel prick in neonates: a quasi-experimental study

Abstract

Background Neonates in the neonatal intensive care unit undergo frequent painful procedures. It is essential to reduce pain using safe and feasible methods. Purpose To evaluate the effects of non-nutritional sucking, mother’s voice, or non-nutritional sucking combined with mother’s voice on repeated procedural pain in hospitalized neonates. Methods A quasi-experimental study was conducted in which 141 neonates were selected in a hospital in Changsha, China. Newborns were divided into four groups: non-nutritional sucking (NNS) (n = 35), maternal voice (MV) (n = 35), NNS + MV (n = 34), and control (n = 37) groups. The Preterm Infant Pain Profile-Revised Scale (PIPP-R) was used to assess pain. Results During the heel prick, the heart rate value and blood oxygen saturation were significantly different between the groups (P < 0.05). Both non-nutritional sucking and maternal voice significantly reduced PIPP-R pain scores of hospitalized newborns (P < 0.05). The pain-relief effect was more robust in the combined group than in other groups. Conclusions This study showed that both non-nutritional sucking and the mother’s voice alleviated repeated procedural pain in neonates. Therefore, these interventions can be used as alternatives to reduce repeated procedural pain.