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Sensory Stimulation in the NICU Environment: Devices, Systems, and Procedures to Protect and Stimulate Premature
Francesco Massimo Vitale1, Gaetano Chirico2, Carmen Lentini3
1Psicologia Magistrale (LM-51), Clinical and Rehabilitation Psychology, Università Niccolò Cusano, 00166 Roma, Italy.
Insights
Noise pollution in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) negatively impacts preterm infants. Interventions like music therapy can help mitigate these effects, supporting infant development and parental well-being.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care
- Developmental psychology
- Environmental health
Background:
- Premature infants miss crucial prenatal sensory experiences.
- Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) environments pose significant stress.
- NICU noise pollution can impede infant growth and development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the impact of NICU noise on preterm infants and their parents.
- To explore sound modulation systems and devices delivering maternal stimuli.
- To assess the efficacy of these interventions in NICU settings.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of existing studies on NICU noise interventions.
- Analysis of systems for sound control and modulation.
- Evaluation of devices delivering maternal sounds and vibrations.
Main Results:
- Beneficial effects observed in preterm infants' physiological, autonomic, and neurobehavioral development.
- Interventions can positively impact infant well-being.
- Maternal presence is ideal, but technology can supplement it.
Conclusions:
- NICU noise negatively affects preterm infants and parents.
- Sound modulation and maternal stimulus delivery systems show promise.
- Further research is needed due to study limitations like small sample sizes and lack of control groups.
Abstract:
Prematurity deprives infants of the prenatal sensory stimulation essential to their correct development; in addition, the stressful environment of the NICU impacts negatively on their growth. The purpose of this review was to investigate the effects of NICU noise pollution on preterm infants and parents. We focused on the systems and projects used to control and modulate sounds, as well as on those special devices and innovative systems used to deliver maternal sounds and vibrations to this population. The results showed beneficial effects on the preterm infants in different areas such as physiological, autonomic, and neurobehavioral development. Although most of these studies highlight positive reactions, there is also a general acknowledgement of the current limits: small and heterogeneous groups, lack of structured variable measurements, systematic control groups, longitudinal studies, and normative values. The mother's presence is always preferred, but the use of music therapy and the devices analyzed, although not able to replace her presence, aim to soften her absence through familiar and protective stimuli, which is a very powerful aid during the COVID-19 pandemic.
