Pain management through non-pharmacological treatments in intensive care units

Pain is a highly prevalent symptom in intensive care units that generates one of the most frequent concerns due to its high incidence and difficult management. The non- pharmacological treatment of pain is rare in these clinical contexts due to limitations such as lack of information and education on the subject, number of patients assigned to each health professional and lack of protocols, manuals and management guides that include non-pharmacological measures for pain management. Objective: To review the strategies of non-pharmacological therapies that are used in intensive care units to control pain in patients of different ages with severe conditions. Method: This review included 15 articles, published between the years 2000 and 200, that were evaluated according to their content. The review was made using the keywords "palliative care", "pain" and "intensive care unit". Results: The most common non-pharmacological therapies used in neonates are the technique of facilitated folding, music therapy, sensory saturation, positioning and kangaroo care. For the adult patient, strategies such as music therapy, simple massage, relaxation techniques and cryotherapy are proposed. Conclusions: It is important to generate controlled clinical studies that show the benefits of non-pharmacological treatments. Moreover, therapeutic strategies must be stimulated to facilitate the modulation of pain in patients in intensive care units, and to apply them in different life cycles.