A NICU Postoperative Pain Management Improvement Project to Reduce Uncontrolled Pain and Improve Staff Satisfaction.

Background: Postoperative pain management in the neonatal period is an area of high variability and a source of staff dissatisfaction. Pain management is a key component of high-quality care; however, pain assessment in infants is difficult and analgesics can negatively impact the developing brain.

Purpose: We aimed to improve postoperative pain control for infants in our neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), limit variability in the approach to pain management, and increase staff satisfaction.