The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of Yakson therapy as a pain management tool on the physiologic and behavioral reponses of infants with a painful heelstick procedure.

Infants were randomly assigned to a group that underwent a series of Yakson therapy and a control that received nothingbefore a heelstick. Heart rate, oxygen saturation, and NIPS were compared between the experimental (n=16) and control (n=16) infants during an undisturbed baseline and after a standard heelstick procedure. Yakson therapy consisted of laying a hand on the back, and caressing the abdomen by hand for 5 minutes.

The pain scores of the Yakson group were lower than the control group. Foroxygen saturation, there were statistically significant differences between groups. For heart rate, there were no statistically significant differences between groups.

This data suggests that Yakson therapy had a pain relief effect in behavior responses and SaO₂. Accordingly, Yakson therapy should be used as a nursing intervention for simple pain management for a heel prick.