The effect of local heat on term neonates pain intensity during heel-blood sampling

Aims: Newborns are more sensitive to pain than adults and are more susceptible to the long-term complications of pain. So, it is necessary to use procedures for reducing pain in newborns. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of local heat on the pain intensity of heel-blood sampling in the term newborns.
Material & In this randomized controlled clinical trial study, in 2012, 63 healthy 3 to 5-day newborns who were referred to Shahid Delkhah Health Center in Ferdows were selected by random sampling method and randomly divided into 3 groups (21 people in each group): test (heat), placebo (sound) and control. The pain intensity of newborns before, during and after heel-blood sampling was evaluated. The data collection tools were demographic questionnaire and Neonatal Infant Pain Scale (NIPS). Data were analyzed by SPSS 14.5 software and chi-square test, one-way ANOVA, Tukey's post hoc test, and ANOVA with repeated observations.
Finding: The mean pain intensity in the three groups was not significantly different before intervention (p=0.86), but the mean pain intensity was lower in the test group than in the other two groups (p=0.006). After heel-blood sampling, the mean pain intensity was the least in the test group and was the most in the control group (p Local heat during and after heel blood sampling decreases pain intensity in the term newborns.