Integrating Music Therapy and Nursing for Neonatal Procedural Support Using a Pacifier Activated Lullaby Device.
Cassi Crouse, Margaret Gettis, Regena Spratling
PMID 42487192WHAT IT FOUND
Pain scores were lower during five minutes of pacifier-activated music after ROP exams: average 4.92 at exam end, then 0.76, 0.6, and 0.21 in 25 neonates, but usual holding, positioning, and swaddling continued.
Key findings
01Mean N-PASS pain score was 4.92 at the end of ROP exams and 0.76, 0.6, and 0.21 at one, three, and five minutes of PAL device use.
02Mean heart rate rose to 183.13 bpm at the end of ROP exams and was 149.79 bpm at five minutes of PAL device use.
03Mean arterial oxygen saturation was 88.52% at the end of ROP exams and 97% at five minutes of PAL device use.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only 25 neonates were analysed, and some physiological data were missing because monitor information was absent. The pilot was done in one NICU over three months, and not every eligible infant received the intervention because only one music therapist was available. The analysis used descriptive statistics, so the paper does not test the PAL device against any comparison condition. The PAL device, pacifier, prerecorded music, and usual holding, positioning, and swaddling were used together, so the effect of any single component cannot be separated. Six neonates used the device multiple times, and ROP exams varied in length, so the time points are not a clean one-to-one comparison. The NICU music therapist role is not available in all NICUs, so this may not fit units without that role.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the PAL device alone reduces neonatal pain. The pilot reports descriptive averages only, usual holding, positioning, and swaddling continued, and the device, pacifier, and prerecorded music were given together. So the contribution of any single component cannot be separated.