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Touch and massage for medically fragile infants
Karen Livingston1, Shay Beider, Alexis J Kant
1Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, Rehabilitation Services, University of Southern California, USA.
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine : Ecam
|October 29, 2008
Summary
This study found that a parent-trained infant massage program is feasible and safe for infants with complex medical conditions in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Caregivers reported high satisfaction with the program and its impact on their relationship with their infant.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care
- Infant health
- Complementary therapies
Background:
- Infant massage research primarily targets premature infants, neglecting critically ill neonates.
- Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) present unique challenges for implementing therapeutic interventions.
- There is a need to explore non-pharmacological approaches for medically fragile infants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and assess the feasibility and safety of a parent-trained compassionate touch/massage program.
- To evaluate the impact of hand containment/massage on hospitalized infants with complex medical conditions.
- To measure caregiver satisfaction with the infant massage intervention.
Main Methods:
- Phase 1: Program development and feasibility/safety assessment.
- Phase 2: Longitudinal randomized control trial (RCT) comparing hand containment/massage to standard care.
- Certified infant massage instructors trained parents; interventions lasted 7 days with 1-month follow-up.
Main Results:
- The parent-trained massage program was feasible and safe in a Level III academic NICU.
- Infant behavioral and physiological measures remained within safe limits during massage.
- Caregivers reported high satisfaction with the massage program and its effect on their relationship with their infant.
Conclusions:
- Parent-delivered infant massage is a safe and feasible intervention for critically ill infants in the NICU.
- The program demonstrated high caregiver satisfaction and positive impacts on the caregiver-infant relationship.
- Further research is warranted to explore specific infant health outcomes like weight gain and reduced hospitalization.
Keywords:
CAMcaregiver depressioninfant massageintegrative medicinemedically fragileneonatal intensive carepediatric psychologyMore Related Videos
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