Facilitating the high risk neonateʼs head control

Abstract

A preliminary study was conducted at Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, Texas, to examine the effectiveness of three teaching strategies for mother's acquisition of a simple, novel, relevant motor skill in the neonatal intensive care unit environment. A small sample of seventy-five high risk, seventy-two hour old neonates admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit were randomly assigned to one of the three groups. Each group was then randomly preassigned one of three experimental treatments: non intervention (control), demonstration only or demonstration-simulation. Each mother was assigned to the randomized group which contained her infant. Mothers in the control group were asked to demonstrate how to encourage their neonate's head control in prone, supine, and sitting. Mothers in the other two groups were given a demonstration of techniques to facilitate head control in these positions prior to the actual performance. Additionally, mothers in the demonstration-simulation group practiced their handling skills on a rag doll before the actual performance. Results of the performance were analyzed and residual findings were discussed. Statistical analysis revealed that the mothers in the guided learning groups displayed better performances than those in the control group. However, the performance results of the two guided learning groups presented no significant differences that would indicate strength of one strategy over another. A significant residual finding relating the stressful intensive care unit to the high frequency of handling errors in all groups was suggested.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)