Indications of improved cognitive development at one year of age among infants born very prematurely who received care based on the Newborn Individualized Developmental Care and Assessment Program (NIDCAP)

• Published in: Early human development 2002, Vol.68 (2), p.83-91
• Main Authors: Kleberg, Agneta, Westrup, Björn, Stjernqvist, Karin, Lagercrantz, Hugo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Birth Weight; care; Child Development; Clinical Medicine; Cognition; Development; Developmental care; Developmental psychology; diseases [prevention and control]; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gestational Age; Human; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Premature; Infant, Very Low Birth Weight; intensive; Intensive care; Intensive Care, Neonatal - methods; Klinisk medicin; Medical and Health Sciences; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; neonatal [methods]; neonatal nursing [methods]; Neonatal nursing [standards]; Newborn infant; Pediatrics; Pediatrik; Premature; premature [growth and; premature [growth and development]; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology
• ISSN: 0378-3782; 1872-6232; 1872-6232
• DOI: 10.1016/S0378-3782(02)00014-2

Background and Objective: Care based on the Newborn Individualized Developmental Care and Assessment Program (NIDCAP) has been reported to exert a positive impact on the development of prematurely born infants. The aim of the present investigation was to determine the effect of such care on the 1-year development of infants born with a gestational age of less than 32 weeks. Methods: All surviving infants (11 in the NIDCAP group and 9 in the control group) were assessed employing the Bayley Scales of Infant Development at 1 year of corrected age. Results: The Mental Developmental Index (MDI) of children who had received care according to NIDCAP was higher [88 (72–114)] [median (range)] than the corresponding value for the control children [78 (50–82)] ( p=0.01). The odds ratio for being alive with an MDI>80 was 14 (95% CI; 1.4–141.5) in favour of the intervention group. However, the Psychomotor Developmental Indices (PDI) were not significantly different [85 (61–108) and 69 (50–114), respectively] ( p=0.23). Conclusion: Our findings indicate that care based on the NIDCAP might have a positive impact on the cognitive development of infants born very prematurely.