investigating newborn pain identification by health professionals versus non-health professionals: a systematic review

Background: eye-tracking methods are among the tools used to assess neonatal pain. this study systematically reviews newborn pain identification by health professionals versus non-professionals. objectives: this study aims to systematically review the newborn pain identification by health professionals versus non-professionals.methods: this was a systematic review conducted following the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis guidelines. the research question was to compare newborn pain identification by health professionals versus non-professionals. a comprehensive search was conducted in the following databases: medline via pubmed, clarivate web of science, scopus, and google scholar. the search was done until december 2022 using the following keywords: pain identification, pain perception, infant, neonate and newborn. the data were extracted based on the inclusion criteria. articles were assessed by two researchers and any discrepancies were resolved by a third author. after the selection process, 6 papers were included in this systematic review. the study protocol is registered in prospero with identification number crd42022347654.results: this systematic review revealed that the process of pain assessment in newborns is different according to the decision of a health professional and a non-health professional; therefore, equipping the newborn intensive care unit with verified instruments and their frequent use may help improve communication among caregivers and health professionals. conclusions: additional efforts are required to improve the knowledge of both health professionals and non-health professionals in the process of pain assessment and management according to the age groups of neonates.