Comparison of the Effect of Maternal Breast Milk Odor, Facilitated Tucking, and Nonnutritive Sucking Applied to Preterm Neonates During Heel Stick on Pain and Physiological Parameters: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Preterm infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) frequently undergo painful procedures, which can lead to both short-term and long-term complications, including potential mortality. Effective pain management is crucial in this context. Although numerous studies have explored non-pharmacological pain relief methods for preterm infants, no research has simultaneously compared the effects of maternal breast milk odor, facilitated tucking, and nonnutritive sucking. This study aims to comparatively investigate the efficacy of nonnutritive sucking, facilitated tucking, and maternal breast milk odor in reducing pain in preterm neonates during heel sticks. A randomized controlled trial was conducted in a tertiary-level NICU with 144 preterm neonates (gestational age 31-36 weeks) requiring heel sticks. The infants were randomly assigned to four groups: control, nonnutritive sucking, facilitated tucking, and maternal breast milk odor. Pain and physiological parameters were assessed through video recordings of the procedures and scored at 1-minute intervals using the Premature Infant Pain Profile and Data Evaluation Form. Data were collected at baseline and at 1, 2, and 3 minutes before, during, and after the heel stick. The study found significant effects of the interventions on physiological parameters and pain (heart rate: = 7.5, < 0.001; oxygen saturation: = 16.39, < 0.001; respiratory rate: = 6.56, < 0.001; pain: = 61.45, < 0.001). Facilitated tucking resulted in significantly lower pain scores (6.61 ± 1.44) compared with the control group (14.22 ± 3.61), maternal breast milk odor (12.22 ± 3.08), and nonnutritive sucking (10.41 ± 1.71) ( < 0.001). All interventions demonstrated effectiveness in maintaining physiological stability and alleviating pain. Nevertheless, the intervention identified as most effective in reducing pain was facilitated tucking group.