Avaliação da dor neonatal na perspectiva do enfermeiro: revisão de literatura

Abstract

Neonatal pain is recognized as a real, complex, and multifactorial experience resulting from neurological immaturity and frequent exposure to painful stimuli during hospitalization. When not properly recognized and treated, it may lead to physiological, neuroendocrine, and behavioral repercussions that compromise the neurological development and well-being of the newborn. This study aimed to analyze nurses’ perceptions regarding neonatal pain and their role in managing newborns in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs); to describe the main non-pharmacological methods used in pain management; to analyze the difficulties faced by nursing teams in recognizing and treating neonatal pain; and to discuss the relevance of professional training for improving neonatal care. This is an integrative literature review conducted through the Virtual Health Library (VHL), using the descriptors neonatal pain, nursing, and pain management, combined with the Boolean operators AND and OR. Ten articles published between 2021 and 2024 were selected, indexed in the LILACS, BDENF, SciELO, and Research, Society and Development Journal databases. The results show that neonatal pain is still often underestimated and undertreated, with limited use of validated pain assessment scales and low adherence to non-pharmacological measures such as the kangaroo method, breastfeeding, and non-nutritive sucking. It was also identified the need for standardized institutional protocols and continuous training programs to ensure safe and humanized practices. It is concluded that early recognition and appropriate management of neonatal pain are essential for ensuring safety, quality, and the humanization of care provided to newborns.