Join Denise Harrison in discussing One Thing she wants people challenged by pain to know. How do you voice that you are challenged by pain when you are too young to have a voice? Explore the current state of pain science research and clinical practice in this straight-to-the-point interview with Denise.
About Denise Harrison
Prof. Denise Harrison is a leader in the field of pain management in infants. She is a Professor of Nursing at the University of Melbourne and the lead of the Be Sweet to Babies team. Denise’s research focuses on improving pain management for neonates, infants, and young children. Find out more about Denise here.
Transcript
HAYLEY: Denise, thank you for being here. What is one thing you want people challenged by pain to know?
DENISE: All my research is about babies. So babies cannot voice the fact that they’re challenged by pain. But we know that babies are exposed to a lot of painful procedures. Even newborn babies have vaccinations and heel pricks, but sick babies is really where my research has come from. Sick babies, preterm babies have many hundreds of painful procedures over the course of their hospitalization. So the main thing that babies are challenged by are needle related, painful procedures.
HAYLEY: And do you have any advice for, um, parents of young babies so that they can help their children?
DENISE: Yes. So the great news is there’s three main things with a lot of evidence that support the fact that they reduce pain in babies.
So if babies are well, and are breastfeeding. Breastfeeding during the needles, so that’s during these newborn heel pricks that are done or during vaccinations, even up to around one year of age if the babies are feeding. If babies are too sick to feed or they’re not able to breastfeed, or families aren’t happy to breastfeed during the painful procedures or aren’t there during the painful procedures, just holding the baby’s skin to skin, so that can also be done by the father or other caregivers. So holding the baby’s skin to skin against the parent’s chest while the heel prick is being done, or while the vaccinations are being done, reduce pain. So when they can’t occur again, when parents are not there, or babies are too sick to come out of their, their cot the other thing is very small, just a drop of sweet solutions. So sucrose or glucose, just a drop on their tongue a bit before the heel lance or their needle reduces pain in babies, and there is so much evidence for these three main strategies.
HAYLEY: I’m glad you’re doing this work, and I’m really grateful that you came and spoke to us today. Thank you.
DENISE: Thank you