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Published on: January 7, 2020
The state of infant massage use in neonatal intensive care units
Dana B McCarty1, Polly Kellner2, Natasha Mauger3
1Division of Physical Therapy, Department of Health Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA. dana_mccarty@med.unc.edu.
Objective:
To characterize current infant massage practices in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) and identify variability in approaches among neonatal therapists.
Study Design:
A cross-sectional survey was distributed to NICU-based occupational therapists, physical therapists, and speech language pathologists. The survey inquired about massage use, training, protocols, techniques, and safety concerns. Descriptive statistics were used for analysis.
Results:
Among 101 respondents from 32 states, 90 (90%) used infant massage, with 64 (71%) considering it standard care. Infant massage was most often administered by occupational therapists (77, 76%), physical therapists (70, 69%), and parents (46, 46%). Despite high training rates (87, 97%), only 48 (53%) followed a specific protocol. Techniques, frequency, and use of emollients varied widely. Safety concerns included infant stress and physiological instability, though adverse events were rare.
Conclusion:
Despite widespread use of infant massage in NICUs, variability in findings underscores the need for standardization to ensure safe, effective delivery of massage.
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