title: Time of initiation of skin-to-skin contact in extremely preterm infants in Sweden.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the time of first skin-to-skin contact in extremely preterm infants in a national perspective and to investigate possible factors affecting the time of first skin-to-skin contact.
  
  
  METHODS
  A population-based prospective descriptive study of extremely preterm infants (n = 520) in seven regional hospitals in Sweden.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Extremely preterm infants in Sweden experience first skin-to-skin contact with the parent at a median of six postnatal days (range 0-44). Low gestational age, a high score on the clinical risk index for babies, and the number of days on a ventilator tended to delay first skin-to-skin contact. A statistically significant difference was also found between regional hospitals.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a difference in the time of first skin-to-skin contact based on the infant's medical condition and the tradition in the neonatal intensive care unit at the regional hospital where the infant is born.
authors: Department of Social and Welfare Studies, Faculty of Health Science, Linköping University, Norrköping, Sweden. evalotte.morelius@liu.se
authors: Evalotte
authors: E
authors: Mörelius
authors: Charlotte
authors: C
authors: Angelhoff
authors: Jennie
authors: J
authors: Eriksson
authors: Elisabeth
authors: E
authors: Olhager
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D052577:Infant, Extremely Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007235:Infant, Premature, Diseases / Q000401:mortality; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal / Q000458:organization & administration; D060127:Kangaroo-Mother Care Method; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D013997:Time Factors