The Effect of Developmentally Supportive Positioning (DSP) on the Stress Levels of Preterm Infants Admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Download PDF

Background & Objective: Proper positioning is one of the earliest neuro developmental interventions in neonatal intensive care units. Due to the importance of preterm infant positioning and the limitation of studies regarding this matter, the present study was conducted, aiming at evaluating the effects of developmentally supportive positions on preterm infants’ stress levels. Method: In this clinical trial, 30 preterm infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) were studied in two phases. There were no interventions in phase one; the infants were just put under observation for 30 minutes. In phase 2, the same infants were placed in developmentally supportive positions for 30 minutes. Infants were evaluated at the end of each phase based on the Brazelton sleep score and physiological indices (Heart rate, Respiratory rate, Blood oxygen saturation level). Data were analyzed through a paired t-test. Findings: Based on our results, average heart and respiratory rates significantly decreased after placing the infants in developmentally supportive positions (P˂0.001); also, the infants’ average oxygen saturation levels and depth of sleep increased significantly (P˂0.001). Conclusion: Considering the decreasing effect of developmentally supportive positioning on stress levels of preterm infants which occurs through decreasing respiratory and heart rates and increasing blood oxygen saturation and depth of sleep, implementing this method in NICUs would be of great advantage.