The Effect of Mother Baby Skin to Skin Contact during Heel Lance on the Infant's Pain and Stress
Abstract
Background: Heel lance, a procedure to collect blood from newborns, is known to be a painful experience. This study aims to determine the effects of skin-to-skin contact on pain and stress levels in newborns during the heel lance procedure.
Methods: This experimental study was conducted between October 2021 and December 2021 at a university hospital in Ankara with a gynecology and obstetrics clinic. The study included 98 newborns (intervention group, n=49; control group, n=49). During the heel lance procedure, newborns in the intervention group were held in skin-to-skin contact (SSC) with their mothers, whereas newborns in the control group were placed in a bassinet. Data were collected using the “Mother’s Demographic Information Form,” “Newborn’s Demographic Information Form,” “Procedure Response Evaluation Form,” and the “ALPS-NEO Neonatal Pain and Stress Assessment Scale.”
Results: Comparison of crying duration during the procedure showed that newborns in the SSC group cried for a shorter period than those in the control group (p<.001). Mothers in the SSC group displayed calmer behaviors more frequently than those in the control group (p<.001). The ALPS-NEO scores measured 5 minutes before, during, and 5 minutes after the procedure were lower in the SSC group than in the control group (p<.001).
Conclusion: Nurses are recommended to implement skin-to-skin contact during heel lance procedures to provide comfort to both mother and infant.
Keywords
References
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