What is kangaroo mother care? Systematic review of the literature.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Kangaroo mother care (KMC), often defined as skin-to-skin contact between a mother and her newborn, frequent or exclusive breastfeeding, and early discharge from the hospital has been effective in reducing the risk of mortality among preterm and low birth weight infants. Research studies and program implementation of KMC have used various definitions.

Objectives

To describe the current definitions of KMC in various settings, analyze the presence or absence of KMC components in each definition, and present a core definition of KMC based on common components that are present in KMC literature.

Methods

We conducted a systematic review and searched PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and the World Health Organization Regional Databases for studies with key

SUBMITTER: Chan GJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4871067 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature