Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Feb;35(2):128-31.
doi: 10.1038/jp.2014.154. Epub 2014 Aug 21.

The Neonatal Pain, Agitation and Sedation Scale and the bedside nurse's assessment of neonates

B A Hillman  1 , M N Tabrizi  1 , E B Gauda  1 , K A Carson  2 , S W Aucott  1
Affiliations

The Neonatal Pain, Agitation and Sedation Scale and the bedside nurse's assessment of neonates

B A Hillman et al. J Perinatol. 2015 Feb.

Abstract

Objective: To determine the reliability of an objective measure of pain, agitation and sedation using the Neonatal Pain, Agitation and Sedation Scale (N-PASS) compared with nursing bedside assessment.

Study design: Neonates admitted in neonatal intensive care unit over a 6-month period were eligible. Pain and sedation were assessed with N-PASS, and a subjective questionnaire was administered to the bedside nurse.

Result: A total of 218 neonates were eligible (median: gestational age 34.6 weeks, age at assessment 7 days). N-PASS pain score correlated significantly with both nurses' pain score (Spearman coefficient (r)=0.37; P<0.001) and agitation score (r=0.56; P<0.001). N-PASS sedation score correlated with nurses' sedation score (r=-0.39; P<0.001). Adjusting for gestational age, day of life, intrauterine drug exposure and use of high frequency ventilation only slightly attenuated the correlations (r=0.36, 0.55 and -0.31, respectively).

Conclusion: The N-PASS captures nursing assessment of pain, agitation and sedation in this broad population and provides a quantitative assessment of subjective descriptions that often drives patient therapy.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Nurses’ questionnaire. Key for Likert scale: 0 indicates no evidence of pain, agitation or sedation. 5 indicates severe pain, agitation or sedation.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Anand KJ. Pharmacological approaches to the management of pain in the neonatal intensive care unit. J Perinatol. 2007;27(Suppl 1):S4–S11. - PubMed
    1. Anand KJ. Pain assessment in preterm neonates. Pediatrics. 2007;119:605–607. - PubMed
    1. Anand KJ, Aranda JV, Berde CB, Buckman S, Capparelli EV, Carlo W, et al. Summary proceedings from the neonatal pain-control group. Pediatrics. 2006;117:S9–S22. - PubMed
    1. Anand KJ. Consensus statement for the prevention and management of pain in the newborn. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2001;155:173–180. - PubMed
    1. Batton DG, Barrington KJ, Wallman C. Prevention and management of pain in the neonate: an update. Pediatrics. 2006;118:2231–2241. - PubMed