The fifth vital sign: implementation of the Neonatal Infant Pain Scale.
Several psychometric tools are available to assess pain in the neonate. Although clinically tested, most of these tools have not been integrated into the assessment of the well newborn. Information is lacking regarding the implementation of such tools and their effects in clinical practice. The Neonatal Infant Pain Scale provides a measure of the intensity of an infant's response to pain. This article describes a hospital's implementation of the Neonatal Infant Pain Scale, including the education provided to nurses and utilization of the tool in the assessment of well newborns.
Gallo
Ana-Maria
AM
Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women, San Diego, CA 92123, USA. ana-maria.gallo@sharp.com
D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D017283:Neonatal Nursing / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D009730:Nursing Assessment / Q000592:standards*; D009733:Nursing Diagnosis / Q000592:standards; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D010146:Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000451:nursing*; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014481:United States