Patient perspective

Independently of the main study, a small sample of infants was recruited during the "after" period in the CHSF (tele-expertise) and Port-Royal (on-site examination) hospitals to compare pain scores between the two techniques. The following variables were recorded using a specific case report form: GA at birth and at examination date, weight at examination date, drug or non-drug treatments administrated, heart rate, saturation oxygen levels and pain scores before, during and after examination. We assessed pain scores during eye examination based on the validated APN pain scale (Acute Pain rating scale for term and preterm Neonates) [11]. This scale evaluates three items: facial expression, limb movements, and vocal expression with ratings per item ranging from 0 to 4, 0 to 3 and 0 to 3, respectively.