Aim. The aim of this study was to adapt the NIPSscale for use in Croatia and to evaluate the contentvalidity and internal consistency of its Croatian versionin neonatal care.Methods. The study was conducted from October2024 to January 2025 at the University HospitalRijeka on a sample of 94 healthy newborns, bornvaginally or by cesarean section, between 37 and 41+ 6/7 weeks of gestation, and assessed as healthyduring first initial clinical examination. Pain was assessedduring routine blood sampling for phenylketonuriascreening, and assessments were performedby trained nurses. Statistical analysis used descriptiveand inferential methods (Wilcoxon test, Friedman’sANOVA, Cochran’s Q test) and Cronbach’s alphacoefficient.Results. The Croatian NIPS version showed high internalconsistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.846). Significantphysiological and behavioral responses were recordedbefore (mean 1.51), during (mean 6.66) and after(mean 2.02) the painful procedure (p 0.001).Conclusions. The Croatian NIPS scale proved internalconsistency and content validity for neonatalpain assessment. Its implementation could ensuretimely recognition and management of pain, therebyreducing potential long-term consequences. The introductionof this tool as a nursing standard for neonatalcare would enable timely recognition and reliefof pain, reduce the number of painful procedures, andprevent long-term negative consequences of pain.
Bosković et al. (Fri,) studied this question.