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Does Music Positively Impact Preterm Infant Outcomes?

Alexa OʼToole1, Kim Francis, Lori Pugsley

  • 1Massachusetts General Hospital, Obstetrics Service, The Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston.

Advances in Neonatal Care : Official Journal of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses
|April 12, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Music therapy positively impacts preterm infants (PTIs) by improving physiological indicators, feeding, and pain management. It also reduces parental stress, making it a valuable intervention in the NICU environment.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal care
  • Developmental psychology
  • Music therapy

Background:

  • Preterm infants (PTIs) face significant stressors in hospital environments, potentially hindering growth and development.
  • Music therapy is explored as a developmental intervention to mitigate stress in PTIs.
  • This review examines existing evidence on music therapy's effects on PTIs.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate if music therapy positively influences physiological indicators in PTIs.
  • To determine the effect of music therapy on feeding behaviors, length of stay (LOS), and pain management for PTIs.
  • To assess the impact of music therapy on parental stress levels.

Main Methods:

  • Searched CINAHL/MEDLINE Complete and PubMed databases for studies on music therapy and PTIs.
  • Keywords included: preterm infants, premature infants, NICU baby, music, and music therapy.
  • Focused on English studies published within the last 5 years, yielding 12 relevant studies.

Main Results:

  • Music therapy demonstrated positive effects on physiological indicators, feeding, LOS, and pain outcomes for PTIs.
  • Music interventions were found to decrease stress levels in parents of PTIs.
  • The reviewed studies indicate a beneficial role for music therapy in neonatal intensive care units.

Conclusions:

  • Individualized care plans should consider diverse music types and parental involvement in music therapy for PTIs.
  • Guidelines focusing on ambient sound reduction are crucial when implementing music interventions.
  • Further research is recommended on ambient sound, music types, infant gender, stress/pain reduction, and parental roles in music therapy.
Abstract

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