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Clinical Practice Protocol of Creative Music Therapy for Preterm Infants and Their Parents in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Published on: January 7, 2020
Neonatal Care Unit Interventions on Preterm Development
Alexia Séassau1, Pascale Munos2, Catherine Gire3
1Centre Hospitalier du Pays d'Aix, 13100 Aix-en-Provence, France.
Insights
Sensory interventions in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) help preterm infants. Parent-led multi-sensory programs offer the most significant long-term benefits for infant development and care.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care
- Developmental pediatrics
- Public health
Background:
- Prematurity is a growing public health concern, linked to increased neurodevelopmental disorders.
- Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) utilize early sensory interventions to support preterm infant development.
- Understanding different sensory intervention types and providers is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To differentiate sensory intervention programs based on modality (uni- or multi-sensory) and provider (caregivers vs. parents).
- To analyze the specific benefits associated with uni-sensory and multi-sensory approaches.
- To highlight the optimal role of parents in neonatal sensory care.
Main Methods:
- Review and categorization of uni-sensorial (proprioceptive, gustatory, odorant) and multi-sensory interventions.
- Analysis of intervention outcomes, including physiological and developmental markers.
- Comparison of caregiver-led versus parent-led intervention effectiveness.
Main Results:
- Uni-sensory interventions can reduce apnea and support vegetative states.
- Multi-sensory interventions demonstrate longer-term benefits, aiding feeding transition, weight gain, and sleep-wake cycles.
- Parental involvement is identified as optimal for co-regulating preterm infant needs.
Conclusions:
- Sensory interventions are vital for preterm infant development in NICUs.
- Multi-sensory programs, especially parent-led ones, yield superior long-term outcomes.
- Training and empowering parents in neonatal care are essential for co-constructing optimal infant development.
Abstract:
Prematurity is becoming a real public health issue as more and more children are being born prematurely, alongside a higher prevalence of neurodevelopmental disorders. Early intervention programs in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) correspond to these uni- or multi-sensorial solicitations aiming to prevent and detect complications in order to support the development of preterm infants. This article aims to distinguish sensory intervention programs according to the gradient of the type of solicitations, uni- or multi-modal, and according to the function of the person who performs these interventions. Uni-sensorial interventions are essentially based on proprioceptive, gustatory, or odorant solicitations. They allow, in particular, a reduction of apneas that support the vegetative states of the preterm infant. On the other hand, the benefits of multi-sensory interventions seem to have a longer-term impact. Most of them allow the support of the transition from passive to active feeding, an increase in weight, and the improvement of sleep-wake cycles. These solicitations are often practiced by caregivers, but the intervention of parents appears optimal since they are the main co-regulators of their preterm child's needs. Thus, it is necessary to co-construct and train the parents in this neonatal care.
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