Psychometric Properties of the Turkish Version of the Neonatal Infant Acute Pain Assessment Scale

Even the healthiest neonates experience pain during painful interventions (e.g. administration of Vitamin K, heel lance) in their first moments of life. This study aimed to examine the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Neonatal Infant Acute Pain Assessment Scale. This methodological study was conducted with 100 newborns receiving treatment and care in a tertiary neonatal intensive care unit. The data were collected using the Neonate Demographic Form, the Neonatal Infant Acute Pain Assessment Scale, and the Premature Infant Pain Profile. The scale was analyzed in terms of validity, internal consistency, and interobserver reliability. The content validity index of the scale was found to be between 0.87 and 1.00, while Cronbach's alpha coefficient was between 0.708 and 0.833. According to the item analysis results, item-total correlation values were high. A strong positive correlation was found between the scores of the two scales that were analyzed for concurrent validity. The Turkish version of the Neonatal Infant Acute Pain Assessment Scale was determined to be valid and reliable. More studies should be done to accurately measure and effectively manage neonatal pain. •As in all clinical areas, the assessment and management of pain is vital in neonatal intensive care units.•Pain is a subjective clinical finding. Therefore, valid and reliable scales are needed to assess pain.•In intercultural scale adaptations, psychometric and psycholinguistic features need to be studied.