The Effect of Different Music Listened During Retinopathy Examination to Premature Infants on Their Pain and Comfort Level: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP); It is a disease characterized by incomplete vascularization of the retina seen in premature and low birth weight infants, the etiology and pathogenesis of which are unknown, causing vision loss. There is an increase in the incidence and severity of ROP development in direct proportion to the decrease in the week of birth and birth weight. While ROP is a problem below 32 weeks of gestation in developed countries, it is reported to develop severely up to 34 weeks of gestation in developing countries. In a multicenter study conducted by the Turkish Neonatology Society in our country, the frequency of ROP in very low birth weight preterm infants was found to be 42%, and the frequency of advanced ROP was 11%. The incidence of ROP in babies with a gestational age of 33-35 weeks was 6.1%, and advanced ROP was 6 per thousand. The frequency of ROP was found to be 10.3% in babies with a birth weight of 1500-2000 grams, and severe ROP was reported in 19 of these babies. Thanks to the increasing frequency of preterm birth in recent years and scientific and technological advances in neonatology, life expectancy is extended up to the 23rd week of gestation. However, this increased the incidence of retinopathy. Therefore, it is of great importance for neotologists, pediatricians and nurses who care for preterms to know the pathophysiology, staging, risk factors and principles of appropriate care for them in reducing the incidence, possible complications and mortality rates of ROP. ROP examination is a procedure that causes pain, deterioration in comfort and physiological changes in preterm newborns. After this examination, an increase in blood pressure and heart rate and a decrease in oxygen saturation are observed. These physiological changes observed after the examination continue for 24 hours. Pharmacological and non-pharmacological (non-pharmacological) methods are used to reduce the pain and increase the comfort level of the premature newborn. As a pharmacological method, there is no other routine method used to reduce pain other than the administration of local anesthetic drops before the examination. Because of this situation, nurses apply various non-pharmacological methods to alleviate pain. These methods are; breast milk, sucrose use, oral dextrose use, non-nutritive sucking, positioning, listening to music and mother's voice. In the literature review; In a study evaluating the effectiveness of sucrose combination with non-nutritive sucking, they reported that pain was moderately reduced and more studies are needed. In another study (2015), it was concluded that topical anesthesia and oral dextrose were not effective in reducing pain in both groups. In a study comparing the effectiveness of breast milk and sucrose, it is recommended to use breast milk because of the rapid recovery of the baby after the ROP examination. In the comparison of the position, which is another non-pharmacological method, with the routine practice in the study conducted in 2019; It has been concluded that the frock position is more effective in relieving pain. In another study, it was stated that the mother's voice as music therapy also showed an analgesic effect and accelerated the recovery after the ROP examination. In the light of this information, when we look at the literature, no specific study was found in which a rain stick and The Happiest Baby music were used to reduce pain and increase the comfort level during the ROP examination. Therefore, this research will be carried out to determine the effect of different music played on the pain and comfort level of premature babies during the retinopathy examination.