Kangaroo mother care in neonates after surgery: a scoping review

To map the available evidence on the application of kangaroo mother care in neonates after surgery, and to summarize its intervention components, implementation methods, outcome measures, efficacy, and safety, thereby informing clinical practice and future research.

A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, CINAHL, CNKI, and Wanfang Database from inception to 7 November 2025. Empirical studies reporting the use of kangaroo mother care in postoperative neonatal populations were included, without restriction by study design. Data on intervention protocols, implementation methods, outcome measures, and safety-related events were extracted and collated.

In total, 12 articles were selected from a pool of 4050 documents.They are six randomized controlled trials, two quasi-experimental studies, one case report, one quality improvement project, one cross-sectional study, and one qualitative literature review. The findings indicated that kangaroo mother care in neonates after surgery contributed to stabilized vital signs, reduced pain, earlier recovery of bowel function, and shorter hospital stays. Continuous monitoring of heart rate, oxygen saturation, and respiratory rate was identified as essential for safety during the intervention.

Kangaroo mother care appears to offer several clinical benefits for neonates following surgery, although the evidence remains in an exploratory phase. Future research should prioritize standardizing intervention protocols, optimizing outcome measurement, and strengthening safety monitoring to support the structured implementation of this care practice in surgical neonatal units.