Non-Pharmacologic Pain & Stress Relief

Evidence shows that stress and pain are neurotoxins to the developing brain. When pain and stress are left untreated or undermanaged, it can cause white and gray matter changes, mal-align neural connectivity and change neural chemistry. These difficulties persist into adulthood. Pharmacological interventions are utilized but carry their own concerns for neurotoxicity to the developing brain. This lecture will address current evidence based non-pharmacological interventions that can be used to mitigate and minimize the effects of pain and stress.

Objectives:

1. State two care practices to minimize stress and pain in the premature infant.

2. Describe three positive caregiving opportunities to enhance state organization and promote self-calming for the premature infant.

3. Identify two evidence-based practices to perform during required painful procedures to protect the premature infant.

Total CE 1.2

NCC Code NNP 3 or 7

NCC Code NIC 1 or 7

NCC Code LRN 3 or 7

Rx = 0

*This presentation was included in the Small Baby Care Specialist® Program

Last updated: October, 2021


Your Instructor


Karin Mitchell
Karin Mitchell

Karin Mitchell, MA, CCC-SLP, CNT, CLE is a highly respected Speech Language Pathologist specializing in the care and treatment of pediatric feeding and swallowing, developmental care of the medically fragile infant and child, and pediatric traumatic brain injury. Her love of teaching and helping others drives her to create and deliver fun and empowering continuing education courses that focus on building the participant’s clinical analysis and therapeutic effectiveness. Expertise includes developmental care in the NICU, developmentally appropriate feeding, pediatric feeding and swallowing analysis and treatment, enhancing decision making and clinical analysis, breast feeding the medically fragile infant and child, and developmental milestones supporting feeding skill acquisition.

Karin serves as a lead therapist for the NICU and Feeding Teams at CHOC Children’s Hospital in Orange, CA. With a clinical practice formed by a strong theory base in NDT and SI therapies, Karin is also NOMAS trained and holds a specialty certification in VitalStim.

A dedicated leader, Karin devotes much of her time to the support and development of clinicians, serving as a mentor committed to building therapist's skills in clinical analysis and therapeutic effectiveness with medically fragile patients. She is a strong advocate for her patients and their families and speaks at local associations, community centers, local universities, and school districts to support medically fragile infants and children.


Frequently Asked Questions


When does the course start and finish?
The course starts as soon as you enroll. You will have access to this course (videos) for two months. Please be sure to download lecture handouts for ongoing access to the content presented. You must complete and submit the Evaluation at the end of the course to receive CE.
How can I communicate any questions, comments, or feedback?
We would love to hear from you. Please e-mail us at: [email protected]

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