Pain in Infants at Risk for Neurological Impairment (PINI)
Overview | Objectives | Project Documentation | The Team | Project Supporters | Related Links | Contact
Overview
Start/End Dates: 1998 - present
Although considerable research has been performed to determine the most effective strategies for managing pain in newborn infants, infants who are born the most premature have been infrequently studied.1-3 These infants are usually the smallest and sickest, have the largest number of painful procedures, and are at the greatest risk for the consequences of pain and neurological impairment.4 Often, how clinicians and researchers view pain indicators for this particular group of infants is unknown.1-3 The end goal of this study is to determine how to best assess and manage their pain.
Considering that the interaction between caregivers and infants is integral to understanding pain in these babies, we have broken down this program of research into three studies where we aim to build on the research findings from each previous study. The results of these studies will increase our knowledge on pain and inform clinical practices for decreasing pain and its consequences in these highly vulnerable newborns.
Objectives
As this program of research includes three studies, there are three objectives which this study seeks to determine:
- How health professionals and parents perceive pain in extremely low gestational age (ELGA) infants
- What the best indicators of pain are and how they change as the infants mature
- How feasible and tolerable selected pain management interventions are for relieving pain from procedures
Project Documentation
No documentation currently available at this time.
The Team
Project Investigators:
Drs. Bonnie Stevens, Sharyn Gibbins, Patrick McGrath
Co-investigators:
Drs. Elizabeth Asztalos, Karel O'Brien, Joseph Beyene, Robin Whyte, Patrick McNamara, Celeste Johnston, Rebecca Pillai-Riddell
Project Director:
Kim Dionne
Research Staff:
Brittany Rosenbloom
Project Supporters
Funding Agencies:
Participating Agencies/Institutions:
SickKids, Toronto, ON
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON
Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, ON
IWK Health Centre, Halifax, NS
Related Links
Currently no related links available at this time.
Contact
Project Director:
Kim Dionne, kimberly.dionne@sickkids.ca
References:
1Gibbins, S., Stevens, B., et al. (2008). "Comparison of pain responses in infants of different gestational ages." Neonatology. 93(1): 10-8.
2Gibbins, S., Stevens, B., et al. (2008). "Pain behaviours in Extremely Low Gestational Age infants." Early Hum Dev. 84(7): 451-458.
3Stevens, B., McGrath, P., Dupuis, A., Gibbins, S., Beyene, J., et al. (2008). "Indicators of pain in neonates at risk for neurological impairment." Journal of Advanced Nursing. 65(2): 285-296.
4Yamada, J., Stinson, J., Lamba, J., Dickson, A., McGrath, PJ., Stevens, B.(2008). "A review of systematic reviews on pain interventions in hospitalized infants." Pain Res Manag. 13(5): 413-420.