Factors determining outcome of tactile kinesthetic stimulation in preterm neonates

Tactile kinesthetic stimulation (TKS) has been the subject of clinical research since the 1960 s, when it was proposed as a way to promote preterm growth and development.

To find out the effect of TKS on weight gain in preterm neonates and the factors affecting TKS in relation to outcome.

TKS was demonstrated to mothers in department of paediatrics. 124 Preterm neonates fulfilling inclusion criteria were enrolled. The time for which they are doing TKS was noted. Their weight was monitored daily by digital weighing scale till discharge and at one month of age and then average weight gain was calculated and correlated with various factors.

There is a significant increase in weight of neonates at discharge (1.73 kg; p < 0.001) and at one month (1.96 kg; p < 0.001) when compared to enrollment (1.686 kg). There was a significant positive correlation between TKS session duration and mean weight change at 1 month follow up (r = 0.269; P = 0.003) and per day weight gain (r = 0.889; p < 0.001), as well as a positive correlation between average TKS session and weight gain when pearson correlation was performed. TKS sessions of 15 minutes or three sessions per day were effective in increasing the weight of preterm neonates. It was noticed that those who received three sessions per day had a shorter hospital stay (7.68 days) than two sessions per day (10.23 days). The education level of the mother, care giver, type of feed, and gender of the preterm have no significant effect on weight gain.