Culturally Based Practice in Neonatal Procedural Pain Management: A Mini Review
Limited EvidenceIn Plain Language
Cultural factors have gradually become important considerations in health services, including in pain management for adult and pediatric patients. However, research on culturally based pain management in neonates remains limited. This mini review aims to provide an overview of procedural pain management in neonates based on cultural approaches from various countries. The review found that there are several analyses of pain management procedures for neonates developed from cultural practices, namely, acupuncture, foot massage and reflexology, Yakson touch therapy, and aromatherapy. The acupuncture method (invasive and non-invasive) is more widely studied using randomized controlled trials (RCTs) than the other methods because the techniques applied can be standardized and measured. There are indications of the positive impact of all the methods examined in this review, but the results of studies have not been consistent because of the diversity of outcome measurement methods used and because of the difficulty of creating standardized procedures to measure pain management methods that are based on cultural practices.
Key Findings: what this systematic review found
- ✓Several culturally-based pain management methods for neonates have been identified including acupuncture, foot massage and reflexology, Yakson touch therapy, and aromatherapy.
- ✓Acupuncture has been more extensively studied using randomized controlled trials than other culturally-based methods because its techniques can be standardized and measured.
- ✓All examined culturally-based pain management methods show positive indications of effectiveness, but study results lack consistency due to diverse outcome measurement methods across research.
What This Means for You
Although reflexology and other culturally-based pain management techniques show potential benefits for newborns, current research is too inconsistent and limited to definitively recommend them as standard care.
What This Means for Practitioners
Standardizing reflexology protocols and using consistent pain measurement methods in research could strengthen the evidence base and help establish reflexology's role in neonatal pain management alongside conventional approaches.
Common questions about this study
What does this study mean in practice?
Although reflexology and other culturally-based pain management techniques show potential benefits for newborns, current research is too inconsistent and limited to definitively recommend them as standard care.
What did this study find?
Several culturally-based pain management methods for neonates have been identified including acupuncture, foot massage and reflexology, Yakson touch therapy, and aromatherapy. Acupuncture has been more extensively studied using randomized controlled trials than other culturally-based methods because its techniques can be standardized and measured. All examined culturally-based pain management methods show positive indications of effectiveness, but study results lack consistency due to diverse outcome measurement methods across research.
How strong is this evidence?
This is a systematic review and we rate its evidence limited. It was published in Frontiers in pediatrics. This study is indexed here for context; it did not test reflexology itself.
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