Preterm babies are exposed to many repetitive painful interventions in NICU.

This study aimed to comparatively determine the effect of white noise and lullabies on pain perception and vital signs of premature babies during painful interventions.

Randomised controlled trialParticipants/Subjects; A sample group of 66 premature babies with a gestational age of 3237 weeks and a weight more than 1000 g were included in this study conducted between May and August 2019 in the NICU of a university hospital.

The babies were randomly divided into three groups: lullaby, white noise, and control. The behavioral responses of the babies were recorded with a camera during the whole procedure. Before, during, and after the procedure, the heart rate, respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation level were measured and recorded, and the pain was evaluated using the premature infant pain profile (PIPP) after the procedure. The mean PIPP score, heart rate during and after the procedure, mean respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation were significantly lower in the white noise and lullaby groups compared with the control group (P < 0.001).

The premature babies in the white noise group were found to have the lowest mean PIPP score, mean heart rate, and respiratory rate, and the highest mean oxygen saturation rate (p < 0.001).

The white noise and lullabies played to premature babies during the blood collection process were effective in pain reduction, and the pain score was lower in the white noise group than in the lullaby group.