• Creating Knowledge

    By understanding the unique needs of neonates and their families, researchers can contribute to better care, better care models, and long-term developmental support. Through observational and interventional studies, Bueno’s work focuses on understanding pain practices in the intestive care units, assessing effectiveness and safety of pain treatment interventions.

  • Synthesizing Knowledge

    Synthesizing evidence in neonatal care is crucial for supporting the translation of research findings into actionable knowledge that can inform clinical guidelines, practice, and improve patient and families outcomes. Over the years, Bueno led and co-led systematic reviews, including Cochrane reviews, and joined guideline development groups in the field on neonatal pain care.

  • Implementing Knowledge

    Implementation science enables bridging the knowledge-to-practice gap. Developing, evaluating and implementing innovative strategies to improve clinical practices, mainly around pain care, is part of Bueno’s latest work. Her research ensures neonatal care is not only evidence-informed but also equitable, sustainable, and responsive to real-world clinical needs.

Current Research as a Principal Investigator

Exploring immigrant caregivers’ knowledge and lived experiences around infant pain management in intensive care units

Funding: The University of Toronto Centre for the Study of Pain (UTCSP)

Community Partners: Canadian Premature Babies Foundation (CPBF)

Leveraging the Canadian experience and innovation to improve pain assessment and treatment in low-resourced settings through implementation science

Funding: Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Project Grant

Community Partners: ONG Prematuridade (Brasil)

Nurses’ perspectives on parent participation in infant’s pain management in the neonatal intensive care unit

Funding: Bertha Rosenstadt Faculty Small Research Grant, Bloomberg Nursing

Community Partners: Canadian Premature Babies Foundation (CPBF)

About the project

Infants admitted to Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) undergo numerous painful procedures during hospitalization. Although evidence demonstrates that caregiver involvement in procedural pain management is safe, feasible, and effective, caregiver participation remains inconsistently implemented in NICU practice. Immigrant caregivers may experience additional barriers to involvement due to language differences, cultural beliefs, unfamiliarity with the Canadian healthcare system, and inequities in access to information and support. Despite Canada’s growing immigrant population, little is known about immigrant caregivers’ knowledge and lived experiences related to infant pain management in the NICU. 

This qualitative interpretive descriptive study aims to explore immigrant caregivers’ knowledge and lived experiences support needs related to infant pain management in Canadian NICUs.

About the project

There is a persistent global knowledge-to-practice gap in neonatal procedural pain care despite abundant evidence. The Implementation of Infant Pain Practice Change (ImPaC) Resource is an online, self-administered evidence-based intervention (EBI) that guides clinicians through a 7-step practice change process informed by implementation science. An effectiveness-implementation study conducted in 23 Canadian NICUs demonstrated that ImPaC improved pain practices when successfully implemented.1 ImPaC has been evaluated only in Canada, a high-income country, and the ultimate goal is to expand ImPaC’s reach to benefit infants globally.

Using Brazil as a case study, this study aims to leverage the intervention by translating and culturally adapting it for implementation.

About the project

Ongoing Collaborations

2025-2027

2024-2026

2024-2026

2024-2026

Implementing Family Integrated Care (FICare) in Level 2 NICU’s in Ontario, PI: Karel O’Brien (Sinai Health, Toronto/Canada). Funding: AHSC AFP Innovation Fund. 

Software de gestão inteligente para assistência à mulher e a criança em amamentação (Intelligent management software for assisting women and children during breastfeeding). PI: Candida Primo (Federal University of Espirito Santo, Vitoria/Brazil). Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq). 

Parent Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQParent): estudo de validação da escala e de verificação do letramento de pais de crianças com condição crônica Parent Health (Literacy Questionnaire (HLQParent): a validation study and evaluation of health literacy of parents of children with chronic conditions), PI: Elysangela Duarte (Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte/Brazil). Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG). 

Effective Knowledge Translation Strategies for Enhancing Impact and Improving Outcomes in Infant Pain, PI: Bonnie Stevens (The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON). Canadian Institutes of Health Research - Foundation Grant.