Pain management in the neonatal intensive care unit: a national survey in Italy.

Background: This study assessed current medical practice in preventative analgesia and sedation for invasive procedures in neonatal intensive care units (NICU) in Italy.

Methods: A questionnaire was sent to level II and III Italian NICUs to investigate pain management, pharmacological treatment and the use of pain scores during invasive procedures. Main outcome measures were the extent to which analgesia and sedation are currently used for invasive procedures in Italian neonatal units.