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[Yakson vs. GHT therapy effects on growth and physical response of preterm infants and on maternal attachment]
1College of Nursing, Korea University, 126-1 5-ka Anam-dong, Sungbuk-ku, Seoul 136-705, Korea. imhyesang@korea.ac.kr
Insights
Yakson therapy may enhance preterm infant growth and physical response. This study found significant differences in oral intake and pulse rate, suggesting its effectiveness as a nursing intervention.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care
- Developmental pediatrics
- Nursing interventions
Background:
- Preterm infants face growth and developmental challenges.
- Early interventions are crucial for improving outcomes in premature infants.
- Yakson therapy, a form of touch therapy, is explored for its potential benefits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of Yakson therapy compared to general hand therapy (GHT) in preterm infants.
- To assess the impact of Yakson therapy on infant growth parameters and physical responses.
- To examine the influence of Yakson therapy on maternal attachment to preterm infants.
Main Methods:
- A quasi-experimental study with a nonequivalent control group design.
- Involved 29 preterm infants (26-34 weeks gestational age) across four university hospitals.
- Yakson therapy involved three 5-minute phases: laying hand, caressing, and laying hand again.
Main Results:
- While weight gain was higher in the Yakson group, differences were not statistically significant.
- No significant differences were found in oxygen saturation or maternal attachment between groups.
- Significant improvements were observed in the average daily increase of oral intake and apical pulse rate in the Yakson group.
Conclusions:
- Yakson therapy shows potential as an effective nursing intervention for preterm infants.
- The therapy may facilitate improved physical responses, including oral intake and heart rate.
- Further research is warranted to fully elucidate the benefits of Yakson therapy in neonatal care.
Purpose:
This study is aimed to confirm the effects of Yakson therapy on the growth and physical response of preterm infants, and maternal attachment to them compared with GHT therapy.
Method:
The design of this study is nonequivalent control group with repeated measuring by quasi experimental study. The subjects are preterm infants in 26 - 34 gestational age hospitalized in the NICU of 4 university hospitals with an experimental group of 15 and a control group of 14. Yakson therapy consists of three phases: laying a hand, caressing by hand, and laying a hand again taking 5 minutes for each phase.
Result:
As a result of administering Yakson therapy to preterm infants; the average weight gain of the Yakson group was higher than that of the GHT group, but there is no significant difference between groups. The oxygen saturation and maternal attachment difference between the Yakson and the GHT group were not significant. Significant differences in the average daily increase of oral intake and apical pulse rate were observed between the Yakson group and GHT group.
Conclusion:
These data suggested that Yakson therapy may be an effective nursing intervention which can facilitate growth and physical response of preterm infants.
