AN ANALYSIS OF MASTER'S THESES ON NONPHARMACOLOGICAL METHODS USED IN THE MANAGEMENT OF PAIN IN PREMATURE INFANTS IN TURKEY

Introduction: Premature infants undergo various painful procedures in the neonatal intensive care unit from birth for diagnosis, treatment, or care purposes. The use of nonpharmacological methods is important in reducing pain in premature newborns. Objective: This study was conducted to review postgraduate theses related to nonpharmacological methods used in the management of pain in premature infants in Turkey. Method: The research was conducted between August 1 and October 10, 2025. Document analysis, one of the qualitative research methods, was used in the research. To access postgraduate theses, a search was conducted on the National Thesis Center of the Council of Higher Education using the keywords “premature,” “newborn,” “pain,” and “non-pharmacological method” in the title, and 14 theses from 2013 to 20224 were examined in terms of quantity and content. Content analysis and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. Findings: It is observed that nine of the postgraduate theses in the study were conducted in the Department of Nursing, four in the Department of Pediatric Nursing, and one in the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation. It is observed that 85.8% of the theses were randomized controlled trials. Non-pharmacological methods used to manage pain in premature infants; listening to the mother's heartbeat (n:1), positioning (n:1), sponge bath and swaddling (n:1), listening to music (white noise/lullaby) (n:4), use of breast milk scent (n:2), bathing (n:1), application of tactile kinesthetic massage (n:1), administration of oral glucose solution (n:1), simulated hand contact (n:1) and therapeutic touch with white noise (n:1).