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Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate psychometric properties, reliability and validity, of Astrid Lindgren and Lund Children's Hospitals Pain and Stress Assessment Scale for Preterm and Sick Newborn Infants (ALPS‐Neo), as a measure for procedural pain. Methods: This observational, prospective study with a repeated measures design, explored inter‐rater reliability by two raters assessing 21 neonates during non‐pain and pain events. Construct validity was explored, that is, ability to discriminate between non‐pain and pain, and criterion validity by correlating ALPS‐Neo with Premature Infant Pain Profile‐Revised (PIPP‐R) and Skin Conductance Algesimeter (SCA) in 54 neonates without ventilator support and sedation undergoing routine heel‐stick procedure in a tertiary neonatal intensive care unit. Results: Mean gestational and assessment age of 54 infants was 33.8 weeks and 12.7 days respectively. Inter‐rater reliability from baseline, skin wiping, heel‐stick events for 21 infants demonstrated intraclass correlations with 95% confidence intervals (CI) of 0.49 (−0.27 to 0.79), 0.86 (0.65–0.94) and 0.73 (0.34–0.89) respectively. ALPS‐Neo discriminated significantly between baseline, non‐pain and heel‐stick (mean differences from pain event −2.3 and −1.0 respectively) and correlated during heel‐stick with PIPP‐R (r = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.34–0.72), not with SCA. Conclusion: ALPS‐Neo may be used as a measure for procedural pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The use of measurement scales to assess pain in neonates is considered a prerequisite for effective management of pain, but these scales are still underutilised in clinical practice. Aim: The aim of this study was to describe and compare pain assessment practices including the use of pain measurement scales in Norwegian and Swedish neonatal care units. Methods: A unit survey investigating practices regarding pain assessment and the use of pain measurement scales was sent to all neonatal units in Sweden and Norway (n = 55). All Norwegian and 92% of Swedish units responded. Results: A majority of the participating units (86.5%) assessed pain. Swedish units assessed and documented pain and used pain measurement scales more frequently than Norwegian units. The most frequently used scales were different versions of Astrid Lindgren's Pain Scale (ALPS) in Sweden and Echelle Douleur Inconfort Noveau‐Ne (EDIN), ALPS and Premature Infant Pain Profile (PIPP) in Norway. Norwegian head nurses had more confidence in their pain assessment method and found the use of pain measurement scales more important than their Swedish colleagues. Conclusion: The persisting difference between Swedish and Norwegian units in pain assessment and the use of pain measurement scales are not easily explained. However, the reported increased availability and reported use of pain measurement scales in neonatal care units in both countries may be seen as a contribution towards better awareness and recognition of pain, better pain management and potentially less suffering for vulnerable neonates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate short-term effects of music therapy (MT) for premature infants and their caregivers on mother-infant bonding, parental anxiety, and maternal depression. METHODS: Parallel, pragmatic, randomized controlled-trial conducted in 7 level III NICUs and 1 level IV NICU in 5 countries enrolling premature infants (<35 weeks gestational age at birth) and their parents. MT included 3 sessions per week with parent-led, infant-directed singing supported by a music therapist. Primary outcome was mother-infant bonding as measured by the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire (PBQ) at discharge from NICU. Secondary outcomes were parents' symptoms of anxiety measured by General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) and maternal depression measured by Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS). Group differences at the assessment timepoint of discharge from hospital were tested by linear mixed effect models (ANCOVA). RESULTS: From August 2018 to April 2020, 213 families were enrolled in the study, of whom 108 were randomly assigned to standard care and 105 to MT. Of the participants, 208 of 213 (98%) completed treatment and assessments. Participants in the MT group received a mean (SD) of 10 sessions (5.95), and 87 of 105 participants (83%) received the minimum of 6 sessions. The estimated group effect (95% confidence interval) for PBQ was -0.61 (-1.82 to 0.59). No significant differences between groups were found (P = .32). No significant effects for secondary outcomes or subgroups were found. CONCLUSIONS: Parent-led, infant-directed singing supported by a music therapist resulted in no significant differences between groups in mother-infant bonding, parental anxiety, or maternal depression at discharge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]