Effect of Daily Intermittent Kangaroo Mother Care on Vital Physiological Parameters of Low Birth Weight Newborns

Abstract

Objective: To determine the effect of daily intermittent Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) on vital physiological parameters of low birth weight newborns. Methods: This Quasi-experimental study was conducted in the Department of Neonatal Paediatrics, King Edward Medical University / Mayo Hospital Lahore from July 2017 to March 2018. Total of 84 low birth weight (< 2500gms) neonates were recruited by non-probability convenient sampling. Kangaroo mother care was provided for 3 consecutive hours a day, for 3 consecutive days. Vital physiological parameters including temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate and oxygen saturation of every baby were recorded immediately before and after KMC. Data was analyzed through SPSS 20.0. Median values of all four vital parameters (pre and post KMC) were compared by Wilcoxon signed-rank test after applying Kolmogrov-Smirnov test for normality distribution. Results: In 84 newborns, there was no change in median body temperature after KMC on day 1, while it was + 0.25 0C on day 2 and + 0.4 0C on day 3(p-values < 0.001). There was no change in median respiratory rate after KMC on day 1 (p-value = 0.412), while it reduced by 2 breaths/min on day 2 (p-value = 0.01) and 2 breaths/min on day 3 (p-value < 0.001). There was no change in median heart rate after KMC on day 1 (p-value = 0.765), but it decreased favorably by 5 beats/min (p-value = 0.008) and 4 beats/min (p-values< 0.001) on day 2 and 3 respectively. The median oxygen saturation after KMC increased by 1% on all 3 days ( p-values < 0.001). Conclusion: Except respiratory rate and heart rate on day 1, all vital physiological parameters in low birth weight babies showed statistical improvement after KMC.