Pain Assessment in Neonates

Abstract

In the U.S. it is mandatory to assess and treat pain. Italy, France, and Russia are establishing standards that mean pain assessment and treatment may become mandatory. Physiological, behavioural, and biochemical tools have been used for pain assessment but no gold standard is yet available. These tools have both limits and benefits. The topic of this chapter is to discuss these tools for different infant groups and to conclude if they can fulfill a gold standard for pain assessment. This gold standard should be independent of the infant’s level of maturity and level of illness, should give accurate pain measurement, be in real time, give an immediate response, and the index should be valid for all infants.