Conclusion Current evidence suggests that developmental care in only NICU setting could have significant effect on mental and motor development of preterm infants , especially at 12 months of age .
Background The aim of this study was to review the effects of developmental care in neonatal intensive care unit ( NICU ) setting on mental and motor development of preterm infants .
Effect of developmental care for very premature infants on neurodevelopmental outcome at 2 years of age.
BACKGROUND To determine the effect of developmental care on neurodevelopmental outcome in formerly preterm infants at a corrected age of 2 years . METHODS A prospect i ve phase-lag study was performed at an Austrian neonatal intensive care unit ( NICU ) . From January 2003 to December 2005 ( study period of conventional care ) and January 2007 to December 2009 ( study period of developmental care ) , we enrolled all infants born in Tyrol at less than 32 weeks of gestation . During this period a total of 261 of 359 preterm infants ( participation rate 72.7 % ) completed the follow-up visit at 2 years of age ; there were 124 children in the conventional and 137 in the developmental care group . The association between developmental care and delayed motor or mental development ( Bayley Scales of Infant Development II ; psychomotor or mental developmental index < 85 ) was analyzed by means of logistic regression analysis at a corrected age of 24 months . RESULTS Children in the developmental care group showed less psychomotor delay than did those in the control group ( developmental care group : 16.1 % , conventional care group 27.4 % ; adjusted odds ratio 0.37 [ 95 % confidence interval : 0.19 - 0.74 ] , P=0.005 ) . Not smoking in pregnancy and higher gestational age were also significant predictors for a better psychomotor outcome at 2 years of age . Regarding cognitive outcome , no significant difference was observed between these two groups . CONCLUSION Our data implicate that developmental care may result in an improved 2-year psychomotor outcome in formerly preterm infants
Conclusion Current evidence suggests that developmental care in only NICU setting could have significant effect on mental and motor development of preterm infants , especially at 12 months of age .
Background The aim of this study was to review the effects of developmental care in neonatal intensive care unit ( NICU ) setting on mental and motor development of preterm infants .