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Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
Effectiveness of hospital-based developmental care interventions for improving neurodevelopmental outcomes in preterm
Sukanya Kankaew1,2, Tippawan Srichalerm1,2, Sutasinee Saehoong1,2
1Ramathibodi School of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Insights
Hospital-based developmental care interventions aim to improve neurodevelopmental outcomes in preterm infants. This review synthesizes evidence on their effectiveness up to two years corrected age.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care
- Developmental pediatrics
- Evidence-based practice
Background:
- Preterm infants face developmental risks due to immaturity and extrauterine environment.
- Developmental care strategies aim to mitigate these risks and optimize outcomes.
- The efficacy of these interventions for preterm infants' neurodevelopment is not fully established.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review the effectiveness of hospital-based developmental care interventions.
- To assess impacts on neurodevelopmental outcomes in preterm infants up to two years corrected age.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review following JBI methodology.
- Inclusion of experimental and quasi-experimental studies on developmental care interventions.
- Comprehensive search of multiple databases and gray literature, with narrative synthesis and potential meta-analysis.
Main Results:
- This section is to be populated upon completion of the review.
Conclusions:
- This section is to be populated upon completion of the review.
Objective:
This review will assess the effectiveness of hospital-based developmental care interventions for improving preterm infants' neurodevelopmental outcomes during the first 2 years at corrected age.
Introduction:
Preterm infants exhibit physical and physiological immaturity, along with exposure to an unfavorable extrauterine environment, both of which significantly increase the risk of developmental impairments. Developmental care encompasses a broad range of interventions to optimize neurodevelopmental outcomes; however, the effectiveness of these interventions for improving preterm infants' neurodevelopmental outcomes during the first 2 years at corrected age remains unclear.
Eligibility Criteria:
This review will examine primary experimental and quasi-experimental studies of hospital-based developmental care interventions and their impact on preterm infants' neurodevelopmental outcomes during the first 2 years at corrected age. The interventions will include environmental adjustments, sensory modification, proper positioning and handling, parental involvement, and other specialized practices, without being limited to the use of standardized tests for assessing cognitive, behavioral, and motor development of preterm infants. The review will include studies comparing these developmental care interventions with various control groups, including standard care or alternative interventions not classified as developmental care.
Methods:
This review will follow the JBI methodology for systematic reviews of effectiveness. The search strategy will aim to locate both published and unpublished primary experimental studies, without publication date or language restrictions. Six databases will be searched, including PubMed, CINAHL (EBSCOhost), Embase (Ovid), PsycINFO (EBSCOhost), Cochrane CENTRAL, and Web of Science Core Collection. Sources of unpublished studies and gray literature will include ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global, Open Access Theses and Dissertations (OATD), and World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (WHO ICTRP). Two independent reviewers will perform study selection, critical appraisal, and data extraction, with the results presented through narrative synthesis. Where feasible, a meta-analysis will be conducted, and the findings will be evaluated using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach.
Review Registration:
PROSPERO CRD42024619912.

