The interaction of ward personnel with infants in the premature nursery

Abstract

Ten low birth weight infants (all less than 1501 grams) were observed in the premature nursery to investigate the amount of contact that premature infants receive during routine care. Observations were 80 minutes long, randomly scheduled to cover a 12-hour period in the infant's day. Time sampling with a twelve-item behavior code was used to record the behavior of hospital personnel during routine care of these infants. The results indicated that infants have contact with ward personnel for a relatively short period, approximately 8 minutes per hour. Although infants in intensive care and post-intensive care receive similar amounts of contact, there were differences in the nature of the contact. Infants in intensive care received most contacts during medical procedures, whereas in post-intensive care infants were contacted in the form of touching, holding, and during burping. The implications of these results for the potential influence of parental visits is discussed.