Interpretation of pain in infants - especially in the NICU - is difficult to assess due to their inabilities to communicate verbally or demonstrate their pain. Most often, healthcare providers rely on indicators such as facial activity, changes in muscle tone, and duration of sleep/wake states to assess the presence of pain. With the high incidence of painful procedures occurring in the NICU, it is essential to find effective methods to decrease the associated discomfort and assist infants in gaining short and long term benefits. While there are a variety of methods to treat and manage pain levels in the NICU, the focus of this paper will be on one: the administration of oral sucrose.

Faculty advisor: Yuqing Guo, Ph.D. (gyuqing@uci.edu) - Program in Nursing Science