Effect of less frequent bathing on premature infant skin

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the effect of less frequent bathing on skin flora of premature infants.

Design: Randomized clinical trial comparing the impact of every other day bathing to every 4th day bathing on skin flora type and colony count.

Setting: University of California, San Francisco, Medical Center Level IV neonatal intensive-care unit.

Participants: Fifty-three premature infants less than 37 weeks gestational age, 14 days or older, and receiving a bath.

Intervention: Premature infants were randomized to either every other day bathing (control group, n = 28) or every 4th day bathing (intervention group, n = 25).

Main outcome measure: Skin flora type and colony count obtained weekly.

Results: Repeated-measures ANOVA was used to test the main effect of group, time, and Group x Time interaction. These factors were not statistically significant; group F(1,21) = 1.842, p = .189; time F(3,63) = 1.359, p = .263; Group x Time interaction F(3,63) = 0.753, p = .525. None of the infants developed an infection as a result of participating in the study protocol.

Conclusion: Every 4th day bathing of premature infants appears to be safe.