Mothers' Views on the Use of Oral Glucose for Pain Relief in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
Anna-Kaija Palomaa, Eeva Talus, Sirpa Keskitalo-Leskinen and 1 others
PMID 41504403WHAT IT FOUND
Mothers of NICU infants saw oral glucose as easy and acceptable when it seemed to relieve pain, but disliked sugar, doubted its effect, and preferred breast milk or parental comfort.
They wanted guidance to participate.
Key findings
01Mothers' views on oral glucose clustered into four themes: varying acceptability, ease of use, contradictory opinions on effectiveness, and preference for another method.
02Most mothers found glucose relieved pain during blood sampling, while some reported only short-term relief.
03Mothers preferred mother-led comfort or combining glucose with other methods rather than using glucose alone.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Mothers who valued parental involvement in pain relief may have been more likely to take part. Only Finnish-speaking mothers in one Level III NICU were interviewed, so the views may not transfer to other countries or units. The study reports mothers' perceptions, not measured pain outcomes, so it cannot show whether glucose works. One mother declined after consent, and the infants had also been in another pain-relief trial, which may shape the setting.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. Funding came from Stiftelsen Alma och K.A. Snellman Säätiö and Päivikki ja Sakari Sohlbergin Säätiö.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these mothers' mixed views as evidence that oral glucose works or fails. The study reports perceptions, not measured pain outcomes.