The effects of kangaroo mother care on physiological parameters of premature neonates in neonatal intensive care unit: A systematic review

Abstract

Purpose: The effects of Kangaroo mother care (KMC) on physiological parameters in preterm infants have been reported in the literature by experimental and quasi-experimental studies, and varying findings have been presented. The present study was conducted to determine the effects of KMC on the physiological parameters of premature newborns in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.Design and method: The review was conducted according to the specified keywords by scanning the EBSCO-host, Cochrane Library, Medline, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and TR index databases using the keywords kangaroo care AND preterm AND vital signs. The pool mean differences (MDs) were calculated, adopting a 95% confidence interval (CIs) using the Stata 16 software for the meta-analysis [PROSPERO: CRD42021283475].Results: Eleven studies for systematic review and nine studies for meta-analysis, including 634 participants, were found eligible for inclusion. It was determined that the temperature (z = 3.21; p = 0.000) and oxygen saturation (z = 2.49; p = 0.000) values created a positive effect in general in the kangaroo care group; however, there was no sufficient evidence to state that it affected the heart rate (z = -0.60; p = 0.55) and respiratory rate (z = -1.45; p = 0.15) values. In the present study, the duration of KMC application had statistically different effects on temperature and oxygen saturation (SpO(2)) (p < 0.05). One-hour or shorter applications of KMC had a higher effect on the temperature and oxygen saturation values (1.83; 1.62, respectively).Conclusion: Our results provided references for clinical implications, and the temperature and oxygen saturation (SpO(2)) values created a positive effect in general in the KMC group. However, there was no sufficient evidence to state that it affected the heart rate and respiratory rate values. The duration of KMC application had statistically different effects on temperature and oxygen saturation. One-hour or shorter applications of KMC had a higher effect on the temperature and SpO(2) values. Longitudinal, randomized, controlled studies examining the effects of KMC on vital signs in premature newborns with vital parameters outside the normal reference range are recommended.