Pain assessment as an indicator of the newborns health status
Evaluación del dolor como un indicador del estado de salud del neonato
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Objective: to evaluate the management of pain by nurses in a neonatology service of a general hospital in the city of Quito (Ecuador). Materials and Methods: a descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out, using a reference of 760 clinical histories of newborns, the sample size was 227 clinical histories of patients aged 0 to 28 days who remained for a minimum period of 4 days hospitalization in the neonatology service. A checklist with parameters that showed the following variables was applied: assessment, causes, complications and pain management in newborns. Results: from the total of medical records reviewed, it was observed that the criterion most used to assess pain was the oxygen desaturation parameter in 89.4%; within the causes of pain in this group of patients, intramuscular prophylaxis of vitamin K was a painful procedure in 99.6%; the main complication found in these patients was hypoglycemia with 26%; regarding pain management, it was determined that 100% of the nursing staff does not use pharmacological measures or non-pharmacological measures for pain management and prevention. Conclusions: The results of the present investigation show the urgency that the use of scales of assessment, management and prevention of pain in newborns by nursing personnel to reduce the risk of complications in them is implemented in health institutions.
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