The efficacy of massage on preterm infants: a meta-analysis
- Forfatter(e)
- Wang, L. He, J. L. Zhang, X. H.
- År
- 2013
- Tidsskrift
- American Journal of Perinatology
- Sider
- 731-8
- Kategori(er)
- Kognisjon (hukommelse, oppmerksomhet og eksekutive funksjoner) For tidlig fødsel
- Tiltakstype(r)
- Massasje
- Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether massage could help preterm infants improve weight gain, discharge from the hospital earlier, and promote the neurobehavioral development, a meta-analysis was conducted.
STUDY DESIGN: MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Dissertation Abstracts, and the Cochrane Library were searched up to January 2012. There were no language restrictions.
RESULTS: In all, 611 articles were retrieved and 17 studies were eligible. Massage intervention improved daily weight gain by 5.32 g (95% confidence interval [CI] 4.15, 6.49, p < 0.00001) and reduced length of stay by 4.41 days (95% CI 2.81, 6.02, p < 0.00001). No significant differences yielded on the scores of Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale.
CONCLUSION: Massage therapy may be a safe and cost-effective practice to improve weight gain and decrease the hospital stay of clinically stable preterm infants. However, the association between massage and neurobehavioral development is still elusive.Future investigations with a larger sample size and strict protocol are required to confirm the effects of massage on the preterm infants:
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