EFFICACY OF KANGAROO CARE AND ORAL GLUCOSE SOLUTION AS NON-PHARMACOLOGICAL PAIN INTERVENTION IN PRETERM BABIES

Background and Objective: Preterm neonates survive longer because of advances in medical care and many of them experience daily painful procedures. The main objective of this research was to assess the analgesic effect of kangaroo care compared to oral glucose on the response of preterm neonates to painful procedures.

Methods: This was an observational, prospective hospital based study, carried out in a tertiary neonatal unit in Sudan, during the period May to June 2013. A total of 100 neonates were included in this study. 50 neonates were given 30% oral glucose solution and the other 50 neonates were subjected to Kangaroo care. Data was collected by Questionnaire and scoring system using Premature Infant Pain Profile. Chi square test was used to compare the pain score between the two groups.

Results: The main results showed that there was smaller increase in heart rate and a slight decrease in Oxygen saturation in the Kangaroo group as opposed to the oral glucose solution group when exposed to painful procedures, the study also showed that 90% of the neonates in the Kangaroo group had no or minimum pain while 96% of the neonates in the oral glucose solution group had moderate pain. Facial actions were highly significantly lower across all points in time in the Kangaroo care group as opposed to the oral glucose solution group.

Conclusion: Procedural pain in neonatal units is poorly managed and Kangaroo care appears to be effective and safe, as measured by composite pain indicators for painful procedure in preterm neonates.