The Effect of Training on Neonatal Intensive Care Nurses’ Performance Regarding Pain Management in Premature Neonates

Many care and treatment approaches in the NICU are accompanied by pain as a recurrent complication during neonates’ hospitalization. The performance of a nurse as an important member of the care team can directly affect pain management.The aim of this study was to determine the effect of training on neonatal intensive care nurses’ performance regarding pain management in premature neonates.

This is a quasi-experimental study including two groups which was performed through a pre-post comparison .The nurses in the intervention group participated in three sessions of theoretical and two sessions of practical training. The tool for evaluating nurses’ performance regarding pain management in premature infants was completed by the nurses in both groups on three occasions including before training, one week after the training, and three weeks after it. The data was analyzed using SPSS V25 with a significance level of 0.05.

The nurses’ demographic information including age, education, working shift, work experience, and the type of employment were not significantly different in the two groups.There was a significant difference in mean scores of the nurses’ performance between the intervention and the control groups one week and three weeks after the intervention(P-value < 0.001).In addition, the mean score of the nurses’ performance in the intervention group one week and three weeks after training was significantly different (P-value < 0.001).

Holding theoretical and practical workshops can affect nurses’ performance in regard with pain management in premature Neonates in the NICUs.