Bathing a Premature Infant in the Intensive Care Unit: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Problem: Daily bathing of the preterm infant in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is a process that is usually done routinely, but it can cause many adverse effects on the stability of the infant. Highlights include decreased body temperature and increased stress, which can cause alterations in its proper growth and development.

Eligibility criteria: We included both descriptive studies and analytical studies that evaluated the effects of bathing on the physiological state of the preterm infants admitted to NICU. The limit on the time of publication was not established and the languages included were Spanish and English.

Results: Ten articles (438 patients) met the inclusion criteria, of which one was a quasi-experimental trial, five randomized clinical trials, one cohort study and three followed a descriptive design. A comparison has been made according to the type of bath: sponge bath, bathtub and Swaddle bath, showing that the Swaddle bath was less related to temperature changes and stress levels. It was also shown that the frequency of bathing can be reduced every 96 h without increasing the risk of infection. Finally, it has been observed that the nurse's behavior is also closely related to the stress suffered by the premature infant.

Conclusions: This paper reveals the importance of correctly bathing premature infants as hospital admission, re-entry and morbidity and mortality may be reduced.

Implications: Swaddle bath has been shown to be the best method for bathing preterm infants in the Neonatal intensive Care Unit.