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eCAM Advance Access published online on August 6, 2007
eCAM, doi:10.1093/ecam/nem076
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© 2007 The Author(s).
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/uk/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Touch and Massage for Medically Fragile Infants

Karen Livingston1, Shay Beider2, Alexis J. Kant3, Constance C. Gallardo3, Michael H. Joseph3,4 and Jeffrey I. Gold3,4

1Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, Rehabilitation Services, 2Integrative Touch for Kids and 3Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, Department of Anesthesiology Critical Care Medicine, Comfort, Pain Management and Palliative Care Program; 4Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, USA

Research investigating the efficacy of infant massage has largely focused on premature and low birth weight infants. The majority of investigations have neglected highly acute patients in academic neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). The current study was developed with two aims: (Phase 1) to develop, implement and demonstrate the feasibility and safety of a parent-trained compassionate touch/massage program for infants with complex medical conditions and (Phase 2) to conduct a longitudinal randomized control trial (RCT) of hand containment/massage versus standard of care in a level III academic Center for Newborn and Infant Critical Care (CNICC). Certified infant massage instructors (CIMIs) taught parents to massage their hospitalized infants. Massage therapy and instruction were performed for seven consecutive days and health outcomes were collected for up to 1 month following treatment. Caregivers, nurses and certified infant massage therapists indicated moderate to high levels of satisfaction and feasibility with the implementation of hand containment/massage in a level III academic center CNICC. In addition, infant behavioral and physiological measures were within safe limits during the massage sessions. All caregivers participating in the massage group reported high levels of satisfaction 7 days into the intervention and at the 1-month follow-up with regards to their relationship with their infant, the massage program's impact on that relationship and the massage program. Due to unequal and small sample sizes, between group analyses (control versus massage) were not conducted. Descriptive infant characteristics of health outcomes are described. Preliminary data from this study indicates feasibility and safety of infant massage and satisfaction among the caregivers, CIMIs and the nurses in the CNICC. An important contribution from this study was the demonstration of the infants’ safety based on physiological stability and no change in agitation/pain scores of the infants receiving massage. Massage in a tertiary urban academic NICU continues to be an area of needed study. Future studies examining infant health outcomes, such as weight gain, decreased length of hospitalization and caregiver–infant bonding, would provide greater insight into the impact of massage for medically fragile infants.

Keywords: medically fragile – infant massage – neonatal intensive care – caregiver depression – pediatric psychology – CAM – integrative medicine

For all reprints and correspondence: Jeffrey I. Gold, PhD, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, Department of Anesthesiology Critical Care Medicine, Comfort, Pain Management and Palliative Care Program; Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, USA Tel: (323) 361-6341; Fax: (323) 361-3877; E-mail: jgold{at}chla.usc.edu

Received July 19, 2006; accepted February 16, 2007


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