The clinical director responsible for children's services at Yeovil District Hospital (UK) is launching a campaign aimed at GPs and community midwives to raise awareness of how a few drops of sucrose can relieve the pain of young babies being given routine jabs and blood tests.

Dr Paul Heaton has spent many years researching and promoting the use of sucrose as an analgesic for newborns undergoing medical procedures. He has addressed conferences in Iran, Australia and New Zealand and had papers published worldwide. Dr Heaton has been largely responsible for promoting the use of sucrose analgesia in paediatric departments across the southwest and has had enquiries about the topic from many different countries.

Dr Heaton first started the research during the ten years he was a paediatrician in New Zealand and continued the work after his arrival at Yeovil District Hospital in 2002. But now he wants to ensure that the practise is spread beyond hospitals and into community based medicine.

He said: "There is considerable evidence that young babies experience pain more easily and sharply than adults when they have commonly performed procedures, such as heel pricks and blood tests, done to them. Their heart rate and blood pressure rise and very small babies can sometimes stop breathing. Research has also shown that if babies experience pain in the very early stages their nervous system becomes more sensitized to pain and this sensitivity can persist for a prolonged period.

"About ten years ago studies showed that sweet tasting substances reduce the response to pain in babies. They release natural substances which minimise the pain and enable quick and effective short-term relief. It has taken some time for this practice to be accepted in the medical community but it is now common practice in paediatric departments of hospitals both with inpatients and outpatients. However it is not common practice out in the community when babies have blood tests and immunisations."

Dr Heaton is now aiming to promote the use of sucrose in primary care and is available for discussions with health professionals.

Yeovil District Hospital