A Non-Pharmacological Application to Reduce Neonatal Pain During Lumbar Puncture Procedure in Neonatal Intensive Care: Placing a Pillow on the Abdomen

Aim: Lumbar puncture is one of the most common painful procedures which newborn babies encounter during neonatal intensive care follow-up. It is important to control pain during this procedure. The aim of this study was to show the effects of using a pillow placed in the abdominal area as a non-pharmacological application in order to relieve neonatal pain during the lumbar puncture procedure. Materials and Methods: Forty newborn babies who were monitored in the neonatal intensive care unit of our hospital and received an indication for lumbar puncture were included in this study. Babies who underwent lumbar puncture were randomly selected and divided into two groups. Lumbar puncture was performed on 20 babies in group 1 by placing a pillow which we had prepared in the abdominal area. In addition, lumbar puncture was performed on 20 babies in group 2 without placing a pillow in the abdominal area during lumbar puncture. The vital signs and the neonatal infants pain scale pain scores of the two groups were compared. Results: Forty newborn babies were included in this study. Their average week of birth was 30.61±4.32 (24-38) weeks and their average birth weight was 1.531.25±951.34 (640-3.675) grams. Of the babies, 26 (65%) were male and 14 (35%) were female. When the pillow we prepared was placed on the abdominal area during lumbar puncture, the pain score was lower, although this difference was not significant. Conclusion: Placing a pillow on the abdominal area during lumbar puncture, which is one of the painful procedures in neonatal intensive care, can be applied as a nonpharmacological method.