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Touch Reduces Stress Behaviors in Premature Infants - Brief Article

Gently touching premature infants for a few minutes per day not only is safe but also has an immediate calming effect, according to a Dec 12, 2000, press release from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. A study performed at the university evaluated the effects of gentle touch on 42 preterm infants. Nurses placed one hand on the back of each infant's head and one on each infant's lower back for 10 minutes, twice per day for 10 days. During these periods, infants showed significantly fewer stress behaviors (eg, clenching fists, facial grimaces). Contrary to previous research, infants in the study also showed no change in oxygen or heart rate, indicating that gentle touch is safe, according to the release.

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Although studies have shown that touch is crucial for the development of parent and infant attachment and for general well-being, many neonatal intensive care units have minimal handling policies that limit parents' and staff members' handling of preterm infants because of concerns about preterm infants' ability to cope with excessive stimulation. The study did not find that touching infants had any long-term positive effects, such as weight gain, improved chance of survival, or reduced length of hospital stay. A new study to be conducted at the university will investigate whether touch combined with gentle massage may yield long-term benefits, according to the release.

Touch Helps Premature Babies (news release, Birmingham, Ale: University of Alabama of Birmingham, Dec 12, 2000) 1-2.

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Touch Reduces Stress Behaviors in Premature Infants - Brief Article

AORN Journal, April, 2001

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