Avalia？？o da dor no recém-nascido prematuro em Unidade de Terapia Intensiva

this study aimed to analyze the process of pain identification in premature by the professional staff of the neonatal intensive care unit of a public hospital in the interior of bahia, brazil. this is a quantitative descriptive exploratory study that was made through a form applied to twenty-four health professional of a neonatal intensive care unit. the data were analyzed in the statistical package for social sciences. the results showed 100% of professionals believed that newborns feel pain, 83.3% knew the pain as the fifth vital sign to be evaluated; 54,8% did not know the pain assessment scales; 70.8% did not use scales and highlighted behavioral and physiological signs of the newborn as signs suggestive of pain. thus, it is important that professionals understand the pain as a complex phenomenon that demands early intervention, ensuring the excellence of care.