Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39899268›Full record

ArticleEuropean journal of pain (London, England)2025

Eyes on Newborns: How NICU Staff's Attention and Emotions Shape Neonatal Pain Assessment.

Philipp Deindl, Alexandra Luister, Eik Vettorazzi, Nadine Pointner, Dominique Singer, Angelika Berger, Michael Wagner, Vito Giordano

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in European journal of pain (London, England), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Philipp DeindlDepartment of Neonatology and Pediatric Intensive Care Medicine, University Children's Hospital, University Medical Center Hamburg Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
Alexandra LuisterDepartment of Neonatology and Pediatric Intensive Care Medicine, University Children's Hospital, University Medical Center Hamburg Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
Eik VettorazziInstitute of Medical Biometry and Epidemiology, Center for Experimental Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
Nadine PointnerDepartment of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Division of Neonatology, Pediatric Intensive Care and Neuropediatrics, Comprehensive Center for Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Dominique SingerDepartment of Neonatology and Pediatric Intensive Care Medicine, University Children's Hospital, University Medical Center Hamburg Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
Angelika BergerDepartment of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Division of Neonatology, Pediatric Intensive Care and Neuropediatrics, Comprehensive Center for Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Michael WagnerDepartment of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Division of Neonatology, Pediatric Intensive Care and Neuropediatrics, Comprehensive Center for Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Vito GiordanoDepartment of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Division of Neonatology, Pediatric Intensive Care and Neuropediatrics, Comprehensive Center for Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2094-8523

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAssessing pain in neonates is crucial for their management but is inherently subjective. This study investigated the effects of visual attention, gaze patterns, and empathic responses of neonatal healthcare professionals on their assessments of neonatal pain.

methodsConducted at the Department of Neonatology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, we employed eye-tracking to monitor staff's responses to videos depicting neonates experiencing non-noxious thermal, brief noxious, and prolonged noxious stimuli. Videos were presented in two formats: full body view, providing contextual information, and face-only view, lacking contextual details. Pain assessments were measured using a Faces Pain Rating Scale (FPRS), exploring the impacts of contextual cues, professional experience, and job roles.

resultsThe study found brief and prolonged noxious stimuli eliciting significantly higher FPRS scores compared to non-painful stimuli, with the full body view resulting in higher pain ratings than the face-only view. The mouth region attracted focused attention. Nurses generally reported higher pain scores and exhibited larger pupil diameters compared to physicians, suggesting a stronger empathic response.

conclusionThis research highlights the essential role of visual cues and empathic responses in neonatal pain assessment, demonstrating how professional roles and stimulus presentation format impact evaluations, and underlining the need for standardised protocols to improve neonatal pain management accuracy. SIGNIFICANCE: The study emphasises the importance of visual cues and empathy in neonatal pain assessment, highlighting the roles of healthcare professionals and stimulus presentation formats. It addresses challenges in understanding neonatal pain, advocating for standardised protocols. Using eye-tracking technology, the research explores how professionals' visual attention and empathy affect pain evaluations, suggesting more objective assessment methods.

Indexed as

AttentionEmotionsEmpathyPainPain MeasurementAdultEye-Tracking TechnologyFemaleHealth PersonnelHumansInfant, NewbornIntensive Care Units, NeonatalMaleemotioneye‐trackingnewbornNICUpain assessmentpupil diametervisual attention

Identifiers

PMID39899268
PMCPMC11789839

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.