Effect of standard rest periods on apnea and weight gain in preterm infants.
This study determined the effect of modifying a single aspect of the intermediate care environment on the incidence of apnea and rate of weight gain in convalescent preterm infants. Twenty-two preterm infants were assigned to experimental and control groups using a randomized, matched-pair design. Over a three-week period, infants in the experimental group were provided a 1 1/2-hour nap period four times a day during which their beds were covered and they were left undisturbed. Control infants received standard nursing care. The infants in the experimental group had more apnea at the start of the study than the control infants but showed a significantly more rapid decline in the incidence of apnea. These infants also gained significantly more weight per day than the control infants. Thus, a simple modification of nursing care that involved minimal increases in nursing time had a beneficial effect on preterm infants.
Torres
C
C
Department of Health of Women and Children, School of Nursing, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 27599-7460, USA.
Holditch-Davis
D
D
O'Hale
A
A
D'Auria
J
J
D001049:Apnea / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007235:Infant, Premature, Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017283:Neonatal Nursing / Q000379:methods; D012146:Rest / Q000502:physiology*; D015430:Weight Gain