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Am J Perinatol 2019; 36(12): 1229-1236
DOI: 10.1055/s-0038-1676536
Original Article
Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Health Care Professionals' Perceptions about Sensory-Based Interventions in the NICU

Roberta Pineda
1   Program in Occupational Therapy, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
2   Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
,
Jessica Roussin
1   Program in Occupational Therapy, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
,
Elizabeth Heiny
1   Program in Occupational Therapy, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
,
Joan Smith
3   Department of Quality, Safety and Practice Excellence, Saint Louis Children's Hospital, St. Louis, Missouri
› Author Affiliations Funding This study was supported by the University Research Strategic Alliance, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number U54 HD087011, and the National Institute of Health Comprehensive Opportunities for Rehabilitation Research Training (CORRT) Grant (K12 HD055931).
Further Information

Publication History

24 May 2018

08 November 2018

Publication Date:
21 December 2018 (online)

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Abstract

Objective The main objective of this article is to define perceptions of health care professionals regarding current use of sensory-based interventions in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Study Design A multidisciplinary group of NICU health care professionals (n = 108) defined the types of sensory-based interventions used in their NICU, the postmenstrual age (PMA) sensory-based interventions are administered, conditions under which sensory-based interventions are used, and personnel who administer sensory-based interventions.

Results The most commonly reported tactile intervention was infant holding (88% of respondents), the most common auditory intervention was recorded music/singing (69% of respondents), the most common kinesthetic intervention was occupational and physical therapy (85% of respondents), and the most common vestibular intervention was infant swings (86% of respondents). Tactile interventions were initiated most often at 24 to 26 weeks PMA (74% of respondents), auditory interventions at 30 to 32 weeks (60% of respondents), kinesthetic interventions at 30 to 32 weeks (76% of respondents), vestibular interventions at 33 to 34 weeks (86% of respondents), and visual interventions at 32 to 36 weeks (72% of respondents). Conditions under which sensory-based interventions were administered, and personnel who provided them, varied across settings.

Conclusion Varied use of sensory-based interventions in the NICU were reported. While this study was limited by biased sampling and the identification of health care professionals' perceptions but not real-world practice, this information can be used to build a comprehensive approach to positive sensory exposures in the NICU.

Keywords

tactile - auditory - engagement - multimodal - stimulation - therapy - outcomes - development - preterm

Supplementary Material