Assessing pain in neonates can be challenging due to their inability to verbalize their discomfort. Several tools and scales are used by healthcare professionals to evaluate neonatal pain:
Neonatal Infant Pain Scale (NIPS): Assesses pain based on facial expression, cry, breathing patterns, arm and leg movements, and arousal state. Premature Infant Pain Profile (PIPP): Considers gestational age, behavioral state, and physiological parameters like heart rate and oxygen saturation. CRIES Scale: Evaluates Crying, Requires oxygen for saturation above 95%, Increased vital signs, Expression, and Sleeplessness.
