Date Presented 03/22/24
This study revealed that a parent-administered sensorimotor intervention can enhance motor function in preterm infants, supporting the importance of OT’s advocacy for early parent-delivered interventions in the neonatal intensive care unit.
Primary Author and Speaker: Sandra Fucile
Contributing Authors: Laurie Snider, Kimberly Dow
PURPOSE: Infants who are born preterm are at high risk of sustaining developmental delays which affect their participation in everyday activities. Substantial evidence supports early sensorimotor intervention to improve the developmental outcome of preterm infants. What remains unknown is the potential to further enhance the significance of sensorimotor interventions by active engagement of the parents. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of a parent-administered sensorimotor intervention on developmental outcomes in preterm infants.
DESIGN: A randomized clinical trial was conducted in a level II-III NICU. A total of ninety-four infants born ≤33 weeks gestation with no metabolic disorder or congenital abnormality participated in the study.
METHOD: Infants were randomized into an experimental or control group (46 experimental, 48 control). Infants in the experimental group received a 15-minute intervention consisting of three equal sections of tactile input to the trunk and limbs, oral stimulation, and nonnutritive sucking. The program was administered by parents 24 hours after discontinuation of continuous positive airway pressure. Infants in the control group received standard care. The outcomes included attainment of independent oral feeds, direct breastfeeds during the hospitalization, and motor outcome (Test of Infant Motor Performances) at 36 weeks CGA.
RESULTS: Infants in the experimental group attained independent oral feeds sooner than those in the control group (p=0.038). A greater number of infants in the experimental group received direct breastfeeding compared to controls (p= 0.023). Although both groups had similar mean motor outcomes, a greater number of infants scored below average in the control versus experimental group (25 vs.11).
CONCLUSION: Early parent engagement can enhance the developmental outcomes of preterm infants, highlighting the importance of OT to advocate for early parent-delivered interventions in the NICU.
References
Rhooms, L., Dow, K., Brandon, C., Zhao, G., Fucile, S. & (2019). Effect of Unimodal and Multimodal Sensorimotor Interventions on Oral Feeding Outcomes in Preterm Infants: An Evidence-Based Systematic Review. Adv Neonatal Care,19(1), E3–E20.
Franck, S., & O’Brien, K. (2019). The evolution of family-centered care: From supporting parent-delivered interventions to a model of family integrated care. Birth Defects Res.111(15),1044–1059.
Fucile, S., Milutinov, M., Timmons, K., Dow, K. (2018). Oral Sensorimotor Intervention Enhances Breastfeeding Establishment in Preterm Infants. Breastfeed Med. 13(7), 473–478.
