Effects of Early Vocal Contact in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: Study Protocol for a Multi-Centre, Randomised Clinical Trial.

ABSTRACT: Preterm infants are at risk for developing altered trajectories of cognitive, social, and linguistic competences compared to a term population. This is mainly due to medical and environmental factors, as they are exposed to an atypical auditory environment and simultaneously, long periods of early separation from their parents. The short-term effects of early vocal contact (EVC) on an infant's early stability have been investigated. However, there is limited evidence of its impact on the infant's autonomic nervous system maturation, as indexed by heart rate variability, and its long-term impact on infant neurodevelopment. Our multi-centric study aims to investigate the effects of EVC on a preterm infant's physiology, neurobehaviour, and development. Eighty stable preterm infants, born at 2

SUBMITTER: Filippa M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8068283 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature