25 Years later: Working together with families to reduce babies’ pain

Presented by Professor Denise Harrison

25 years ago, Professor Denise Harrison was working as a clinical nurse in the neonatal unit at the Royal Children’s Hospital. She was becoming increasingly concerned about effects of the frequently occurring painful procedures the sick babies were exposed to. These concerns led her to research best ways to reduce pain during painful procedures.

Denise subsequently developed and leads the Be Sweet to Babies program of research which focuses on improving pain management for neonates, infants and young children in partnership with parents, clinicians and researchers from many disciplines, students and early career researchers.

In this first of the 25-year celebrations of Nursing at the University of Melbourne, Denise will take us on her-around-the-world journey of her developing program of research spanning over two decades, two graduate degrees, a postdoctoral fellowship and two faculty positions. In this whirlwind journey she will return to her original question posed nearly 25 years ago - "how can we best reduce pain in babies?"

Watch the recording

Listen to a sneak peak below as Bronwyn Tarrant interviews Professor Denise Harrison: