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Creation of a Scale for Assessing Pain and Discomfort in Extremely Premature Infants (EDEX) Hospitalised in Neonatal Intensive Care, Inspired by the Early Infant Pain and Discomfort Scale (EDIN)

Creation of a Scale for Assessing Pain and Discomfort in Extremely Premature Infants (EDEX) Hospitalised in Neonatal Intensive Care, Inspired by the Early Infant Pain and Distress Scale (EDIN)

Status
Not yet recruiting
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Observational
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT07481331
Acronym
DOU-PREMA
Enrollment
68
Registered
2026-03-18
Start date
2026-09-01
Completion date
2028-02-01
Last updated
2026-09-11

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Discomfort Symptoms, Extremely Premature Infant, Pain

Keywords

pain and discomfort scale, extremely premature infants

Brief summary

The goal of this study is to develop a new scale for assessing prolonged pain, dedicated to extremely premature infants born before 27 weeks of gestation, adapted to their particular ways of expressing pain and discomfort, which will be called the EDEX (Extremely Premature Infant Pain Assessment Scale). This scale will take into account the level of development of extremely premature infants, recognizing that the perception and manifestations of pain vary according to gestational age. It was chosen to develop a specific pain assessment scale for preterm infants born before 27 weeks of gestation, in line with their level of development and their relatively homogeneous manifestations in this population. This population, which is the most immature, is particularly fragile and sensitive to its environment and the care provided. Pain manifestations are the most subtle, vegetative reactions are very present, and the motor system is still underdeveloped, linked to low muscle tone. It is with this category of patients that the nursing staff encounter the most difficulty in assessing pain and discomfort based on the EDIN scale. After creating the new EDEX scale during the first phase of the DOU-PREMA study, both scales (EDIN and EDEX) will be administered to the same pool of extremely premature infants during the second phase of the DOU-PRÉMA study in order to assess the correlation between the two scales. The main hypothesis is that EDIN and EDEX scores will not be correlated, as the EDIN does not appear to be suitable for extremely premature infants in routine practice. if the hypothesis is confirmed, a multicenter psychometric validation of the EDEX scale will then be considered in a future study. The study is a monocentric, non-interventional observational study conducted in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of the University Hospital of Reunion Island (Site Nord). It is designed as a preliminary step toward the psychometric validation of a newly developed behavioral pain and discomfort assessment scale for extremely preterm infants (\<27 weeks' gestational age), named EDEX. The study includes two sequential phases: 1. a developmental phase dedicated to the creation of the EDEX scale : This stage is based on the production of videos of premature extreme in order to ajust the provisional scale define during a multidisciplinary meeting. 2. a cross-sectional observational phase comparing EDEX with the EDIN scale in the same population. The second phase of the project will evaluate the correlation between EDIN and EDEX scores. This protocol follows the SPIRIT recommendations for study protocols involving human participants.

Interventions

None listed

Sponsors

Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de la Réunion
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Observational model
CASE_CONTROL
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
No minimum to 27 Weeks
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

Extremely premature infants: * born before 27 weeks of gestation, and aged no more than 26 weeks of amenorrhea + 6 days in corrected age, * from 48 hours of life, * hospitalised in neonatal intensive care, * for whom at least one of the two legal guardians has given their consent.

Exclusion criteria

Extreme premature infants: * whose clinical condition is critical with a risk of imminent death, * with major brain damage (HIV 4) or major brain malformations, * deeply sedated or paralyzed with no spontaneous reactions, * whose parents are both minors. * who are not already participating in another study.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Correlation between scores on the new EDEX pain assessment scale and scores obtained with the EDINat baselineThe correlation between EDIN and EDEX scores will be assessed using Spearman's coefficient.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Distribution of scores obtained in the EDIN and EDEXthrough study completion, an average of 18 monthsThe position and dispersion indicators for each distribution will be calculated (mean, median, standard deviation, etc.).
Description of the EDEX adaptation procedure.through study completion, an average of 18 monthsThe following will be described: the number of meetings required, the time needed for multidisciplinary reflection at each stage, the need for arbitration, the main stages in the construction of the new tool, and the differences compared to EDIN.
Description of the difficulties and quality of the EDEX adaptation, by the members of the working groupthrough study completion, an average of 18 months5 questions on satisfaction with the quality of the process of creating the new scale, each rated from 0 to 100, and 25 questions on the difficulty of adapting each item, each rated from 0 to 100.
Assessment of paramedics' satisfaction with EDEXthrough study completion, an average of 18 months10 closed questions and one open question. The response options for closed questions are in the form of a 5-point or 4-point Likert scale for 2 questions.
Comparison of EDIN and EDEX scores before and after taking painkillers (sensitivity to change)through study completion, an average of 18 monthsScores measured before taking any painkillers and after taking painkillers for the first time will be considered.

Contacts

CONTACTFleur BRIGNANO
fleur.brignano@chu-reunion.fr+262692295999
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORFleur BRIGNANO

University Hospital Centre of Reunion Island

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Sep 12, 2026