A systematic review of clinical practice guidelines for the assessment and management of pain in neonates

Purpose
This systematic review provides a content analysis of the specific recommendations provided within existing clinical practice guidelines for the assessment and management of procedural pain in neonates.

Methods
A structured search was completed in November 2021 in MEDLINE, Embase, and CINAHL to identify relevant clinical practice guidelines. Clinical practice guidelines were quality assessed using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II Instrument.

Results
20 clinical practice guidelines were included. Recommendations and evidence provided within the guidelines for the assessment and management of procedural pain in neonates was variable.

Conclusions
Improvements are required in relation to the vagueness of recommendations and inconsistencies.

Clinical implications
Translating evidence into practice is a complicated process that requires behavioural change amongst healthcare professionals. The Evidence-Based Practice for Improving Quality an adaptable multifaceted intervention can be implemented to change behaviour and reduce the evidence to practice gap.