Abstract

Pensar Enfermagem / v.30 n.Sup / Jan-Dec 2026 / DOI: 10.71861/pensarenf.v30iSup.519 / e00519

Nurses’ Perspectives on Strategies for Parental Involvement in

Newborn Pain Management

Fátima Prior1*, Ana Rita Pereira2, Maria Helena Martins3, Luísa Barros4, Maria Alice Curado5, Isabel Malheiro6

1 Innovation and Development Centre of Lisbon (CIDNUR), Lisbon, Portugal. Department of Neonatology and Pediatric Special Care, Hospital

de Cascais, Cascais, Portugal; orcid.org/0000-0003-2781-4314

2 Innovation and Development Centre of Lisbon (CIDNUR), Lisbon, Portugal. Escola Superior de Enfermagem S. Francisco das Misericórdias,

Lisbon, Portugal; orcid.org/0000-0001-8708-4574

3 Innovation and Development Centre of Lisbon (CIDNUR), Lisbon, Portugal. Hospital Lusíadas Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal; orcid.org/0000-0001-

7732-1003

4 Research Center for Psychological Science (CICPSI), Faculdade de Psicologia, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal. Faculdade de Psicologia,

Universidade Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal; orcid.org/0000-0002-5075-0104

5 Innovation and Development Centre of Lisbon (CIDNUR), Lisbon, Portugal. School of Nursing in Lisbon (ESEL), Lisbon, Portugal,

orcid.org/0000-0002-9942-7623

6 Innovation and Development Centre of Lisbon (CIDNUR), Lisbon, Portugal. School of Nursing in Lisbon (ESEL), Lisbon, Portugal;

orcid.org/0000-0002-9093-4821

* Corresponding author: fatima.frazao.prior@gmail.com

Abstract

Introduction

Newborns in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) undergo several painful stimuli with their care and

treatment, including painful maneuvers, daily. Nurses play a crucial role when applying pain management

strategies. Parents, when properly prepared and guided, can effectively apply strategies to reduce newborns’

pain during painful procedures in the NICU, also lowering parental stress and fostering attachment between

parents and infants.

This approach aligns with Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) on Promoting Good Health and Well-Being

(SDG-3) and Reducing Inequalities (SDG-10) through empowering families in their caregiving roles and

helping to integrate newborns into family life, especially those born preterm or with chronic conditions.

Objective

To explore parents’ and expert NICU nurses’ perceptions regarding the strategies that enable parents to

collaborate on their newborns’ pain management.

Methods

An exploratory, qualitative, and descriptive study was conducted using online focus group interviews to explore

expert NICU nurses' perspectives on nurses’ strategies that involve parents in managing their newborns’ pain.

Results

The study sample was recruited from three Lisbon Metropolitan Region NICUs and consisted of 24 nurses, all

NICU experts with over five years of professional experience.

Data analysis is still ongoing, and so far, identified nurses’ opinions regarding newborn pain and nursing

strategies to promote parental involvement in newborn pain management are grouped into two categories and

five subcategories.

Conclusion

The success of nursing interventions to empower parents in their newborn's pain management depends on

factors related to parents, nurses, the organization, and the environment. Parental involvement in newborn

pain management promotes Good Health and well-being by improving parental care and reducing their

newborns' pain. It also Reduces Inequalities in promoting parent-newborn bonding for newborns who cannot

remain in their family environment after birth due to a special clinical condition.

Keywords

Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; Infant, Newborn; Pain Management; Patient Empowerment.

Abstract

Pensar Enfermagem / v.30 n.Sup / Jan-Dec 2026 / DOI: 10.71861/pensarenf.v30iSup.519 / e00519

References

1. Altimier L, Phillips R. The neonatal integrative developmental care model: advanced clinical

applications of the seven core measures for neuroprotective family-centered developmental care.

Newborn Infant Nurs Rev [Internet]. 2016 [cited 2025 Jul 12]; 16(4): 230–44. Available from:

doi:10.1053/j.nainr.2016.09.030

2. Sachs JD, Lafortune G, Fuller G, Drumm E. Sustainable development report 2023 implementing

the SDG stimulus includes the SDG index and dashboards [Internet]. Dublin: University Press;

2023 [cited cited 2025 Jul 12]. Available from: https://files.unsdsn.org/sustainable-development-

report-2023.pdf

3. Ullsten A, Andreasson M, Eriksson M. State of the art in parent-delivered pain-relieving

interventions in neonatal care: a scoping review. Front Pediatr [Internet]. 2021. [cited cited 2025 Jul

12]; (9): 1-19. Available from:

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pediatrics/articles/10.3389/fped.2021.651846/full