The effect of maternal voice and non-nutritional sucking on repeated procedural pain of heel prick in neonates: a quasi-experimental study

Neonates in the neonatal intensive care unit undergo frequent painful procedures. It is essential to reduce pain using safe and feasible methods.

To evaluate the effects of non-nutritional sucking, mother’s voice, or non-nutritional sucking combined with mother’s voice on repeated procedural pain in hospitalized neonates.

A quasi-experimental study was conducted in which 141 neonates were selected in a hospital in Changsha, China. Newborns were divided into four groups: non-nutritional sucking (NNS) (n = 35), maternal voice (MV) (n = 35), NNS + MV (n = 34), and control (n = 37) groups. The Preterm Infant Pain Profile-Revised Scale (PIPP-R) was used to assess pain.

During the heel prick, the heart rate value and blood oxygen saturation were significantly different between the groups (P < 0.05). Both non-nutritional sucking and maternal voice significantly reduced PIPP-R pain scores of hospitalized newborns (P < 0.05). The pain-relief effect was more robust in the combined group than in other groups.

This study showed that both non-nutritional sucking and the mother’s voice alleviated repeated procedural pain in neonates. Therefore, these interventions can be used as alternatives to reduce repeated procedural pain.