Is kangaroo mother care effective in alleviating vaccination associated pain in early infantile period? A RCT

Abstract Background Childhood vaccination is a common procedure and a part of routine medical care during infancy. Although vaccination is the cornerstone for prevention of many infectious diseases, it is associated with significant pain, which is often ignored. Non pharmacological interventions such as breast feeding and kangaroo mother care (KMC) have been used to decrease this procedural pain. However there is paucity of published data on effective use of KMC in term neonates and infants beyond the neonatal age. Method This randomized controlled trial included 61 infants ≤14 weeks of postnatal age, and compared KMC to swaddling during vaccination. Neonatal infant pain scale (NIPS) was used to assess the pain associated with vaccination. Results NIPS scores at 1 min and 5 min after vaccination and duration of cry were significantly less in the KMC group. Conclusion KMC is effective in reducing vaccination associated pain in young infants.