Mothers' voices and white noise on premature infants' physiological reactions in a neonatal intensive care unit: A multi-arm randomized controlled trial
Abstract
BACKGROUND
A few positive effects of mothers' voice on physiological outcomes have been studied and limited studies have focused on the level of cortisol. In addition, white noise has recently been found to be beneficial for human sleep, but studies in premature infants were limited and no study has compared the effects of mothers' voice and white noise on premature infants.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the effects of mothers' voice and white noise on sleep-wake patterns, salivary cortisol levels, weight gain, heart rate, and oxygen saturation of premature infants in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
METHODS
This was a three-group randomized controlled trial. A total of 103 medically stable premature infants in incubators were recruited from the NICU of a women's and children's hospital in China between March and December 2017 and were randomized into three groups: the mothers' voice group (n = 34), the white noise group (n = 34), and the routine care group (n = 35). Mothers' voice, white noise, and no voice were provided to the three groups for 20 min at a time, three times a day for four consecutive days. The sound levels of the mothers' voice and white noise were controlled between 50 and 55 dB. Sleep-wake patterns, salivary cortisol level, and weight were measured at pre-test and post-test whereas heart rate and oxygen saturation were measured every five-minute at 11am, 2pm, 5pm for four-consecutive days.
RESULTS
A group difference was found only in weight gain (p = 0.003),…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a randomized trial, done in people. Its evidence level is 2 of 5 (High · randomized trial). Randomized trials of a reasonable size are the strongest single-study design. Reported size: 35 participants or records.
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