Effect of intervention of music-assisted therapy on physiological parameters of premature babies - A randomized trial

Abstract

PurposeTo investigate the effect of intervention of music-assisted therapy (MAT) on the physiological parameters of premature babies. MethodsA two-arm parallel-group randomized controlled trial. This study randomly enrolled a total of 41, 28-to-34-week-old premature babies as the subjects to measure their physiological parameters (body temperature, heartrate, respiration, and blood oxygen level). The control group (n = 20) received general routine care, the experimental group (n = 21) received the intervention of MAT (oriental Nanguan music) for three consecutive days, and the data were collected for the following three days after the intervention. ResultsThe results showed that compared with the premature babies receiving general routine care, there were statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) in the heartrate and blood oxygen level in those receiving the MAT (experimental group). However, there was no statistically significant difference in body temperature and respiration. ConclusionThe heartrate, respiration, and blood oxygen level in the premature babies receiving the MAT were gradually stabilized. In addition, this study also verified that oriental Nanguan music, which has a low frequency and a simple melody, could stabilize the physiological parameters and sleep behavior of premature babies. This study could provide an auxiliary care method for the developmental care of premature babies. In the future, it is hoped that MAT can be included into the regular curriculum of nursing education to provide family-centered holistic care, reduce the stress and anxiety of parents of premature babies, and improve the clinical quality of care indicators.