Effect of earplugs on the physiological response of preterm infants during a nebulizer session

Abstract

Background High noise levels may be harmful to preterm infants and have negative short-term effects on cardiovascular and respiratory systems. A nebulizer session before suction is the most common stressful procedure for preterm infants. Earplugs protect preterm infants from noise and improve their physiological state. Aim This study aimed to evaluate the effect of earplugs on the physiological response of preterm infants during a nebulizer session. Patients and methods The study, a one group time series quasi-experimental research design, was done on a purposive sample of 30 preterm infants attending the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of El Manial University Hospital (Kasr Al Ainy). A total of 30 preterm infants was involved first as a control group and then as the earplug group. Neonatal assessment, noise, and physiological response tools were utilized for data collection. A sound level meter was used to measure the level of noise before the nebulizer session. Results Results of the study have shown that there was a statistically significant difference in preterm infants before and after using earplugs regarding the mean change of heart rate, oxygen saturation, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure during and after a nebulizer session (P Conclusion The findings of the study concluded that the use of earplugs is effective to decrease the effect of noise on the physiological response of preterm infants during a nebulizer session. Recommendations The educational program is needed to raise awareness among neonatal nurses and other health-care providers about the effect of noise reduction methods such as an earplug on the physiological state of preterm infants.