Facilitated tucking versus Kangaroo mother care in alleviating BCG vaccination -associated pain in preterm neonates ≥34 weeks: a randomized controlled trial.

Neonatal pain is a critical yet often under-recognized clinical issue, particularly in preterm infants who demonstrate heightened sensitivity due to neurological immaturity. Procedural pain, including vaccination, may have both immediate physiological effects and long-term neurodevelopmental consequences. The present study aims to compare the effectiveness of facilitated tucking and kangaroo mother care (KMC) in reducing pain during Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccination in preterm neonates with corrected gestational age ≥34 weeks. This randomized controlled trial was conducted in a tertiary neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) between 2022 and 2024. A total of 164 preterm neonates were randomized into facilitated tucking (n = 82) and KMC (n = 82) groups. Pain was assessed using the Neonatal Infant Pain Scale (NIPS), and physiological parameters were recorded. Statistical analysis was performed using Student's t-test, with p < 0.05 considered significant. Mean NIPS scores were significantly lower in the facilitated tucking group (1.9 ± 0.7) compared to the KMC group (3.2 ± 0.9) (p = 0.004). A greater proportion of neonates experienced no pain in the facilitated tucking group (52.4%) compared to KMC (35.3%). No significant differences were observed in physiological parameters. Facilitated tucking is more effective than KMC in alleviating vaccination-related pain in preterm neonates and can be recommended as a routine non-pharmacological intervention in NICUs.