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The Effect of the Smell of Breast Milk and Non-Nutritious Sucking on Pain Behavioral Response and to First-Time Hepatitis B Vaccine in Term Newborns
Abstract
Background:
The issue of Pain Management finds special significance in infants who are unable to verbally express pain. Studies have shown that the use of non-pharmacological pain control techniques can be effective in reducing neonatal pain. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of olfactory stimulation (with breast milk) and non-nutritive sucking (with a pacifier) on the physiological and behavioral responses in term neonates to the hepatitis B vaccine.
Methods:
In this clinical trial, which was done in 2015 at the Nohom-e Dey Hospital of Torbat Heidariyeh, 90 eligible infants were randomly selected and divided into two intervention and one control groups. In the breast-milk odor group (n = 30), the neonates were exposed to the mother's odor during vaccination. In the non-nutritive sucking group (n = 30), a standard soft pacifier was used, whereas, in the control group (n = 30), no intervention was carried out. Data collection tools included demographic information forms and the Neonatal Pain Response Scale. Data were edited and analyzed using SPSS 20 software.
Results:
This study showed that there was a statistically significant difference between the mean scores of neonatal behavioral responses after intervention in the three groups (p <0.05). The mean behavioral response was 0.73 lower in the breast-milk odor group than in the control group, and the mean behavioral response in the non-nutritive sucking group was 0.6 lower than that of the control group.
Conclusion:
The results of the study showed that both olfactory stimulations with breast milk and non-nutritive sucking have a positive impact on neonatal pain reduction, nearly equally.