This study was done to provide data for a nursing intervention to alleviate newborn pain clinically by investigating the effect of oral glucose.

Subjects were newborns hospitalized in the nursery. Informed consent was obtained from parents of 60 newborns. A heel stick was carried out for a test on 3 groups; the experimental, placebo, and control group. The Neonatal infant pain scale(NIPS), respiration rate, heart rate, peripheral oxygen partial pressure(SpO₂), and crying duration were measured to assess pain reaction. All neonatal behaviors were recorded on videotape.

There were significant differences in pain behavior during stimulus(F=4.195, p=.020), pain behavior immediately after blood-sampling (F=4.114, p=.021), and pain behavior 3 minutes after that (F=3.630, p=.033). However, there were no significant differences in heart rate, respiration rate, peripheral oxygen partial pressure or crying duration after the heel stick among the groups.

Oral administration of glucose before a heel stick caused the reduction of neonatal pain behavior, which means that it has an effect of pain relief.