Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Sydney, 2003. / Includes tables and questionnaires. Title from title screen (viewed Apr. 28, 2008). Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the Centre for Perinatal Health Services Research, School of Public Health. Includes bibliography. Also available in print form.

Thesis (MTchLn)--University of Canterbury, 2008. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 75-78). Also available via the World Wide Web.

Title from title page of PDF (University of Missouri--St. Louis, viewed February 15, 2010). Includes bibliographical references (p. 126-150).

Thesis (doctoral)--Universität, Rostock, 2005/2006. / Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (p. [327]-344).

No description available.

published_or_final_version / Clinical Psychology / Doctoral / Doctor of Psychology

Despite concern that preterm infants receive inappropriate tactile and auditory stimulation because of early birth, few studies have explored the development of responsiveness to tactile and auditory stimulation prior to 40 weeks' postconceptional age. The present research traced longitudinally the development of responsiveness to tactile and auditory stimulation of 14 preterm infants born at 30 or less weeks' postconceptional age. The preterm sample was divided into three groups (well, moderately ill, and sick) to assess the effects of illness. All infants were assessed three times per week from 30 to 34 weeks' postconceptional age. Body movement, eye movement, heart rate, smiles, hand-to-mouth activity, and "avoidance" signals of grimaces, cries, yawns, and tongue protrusions were assessed in response to (a) auditory stimulation in the form of talking, (b) tactile stimulation in the form of touching/stroking, and (c) the combination of talking and touching. Further, these infants were assessed weekly for the development of neurological reflexes and responsiveness to the orientation items from the Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale. When a pre-stimulus period was compared to a stimulus condition, preterm infants were found to respond to talking with significantly more eye movement; to touching with significantly more body movement; and to the combination of talking and touching with more body movement. Significant effects of illness were found when smiles, hand-to-mouth activity, and "avoidance" signals were assessed. During all the stimulation conditions the well infants had significantly more smiles and hand-to-mouth activity. During talking and the combination of talking and touching the sick infants also showed significantly more "avoidance" signals. Sick infants also performed less well than the well infants on the Brazelton orientation items and on some of the neurological exam items. The findings of this study suggested that responsiveness to social stimuli, talking and touching, develops quite early, even before the time of usual birth, and is minimally affected by illness. Behaviors shown by these infants are those likely to attract the caregiver's attention, suggesting that the preterm infant is capable of behaviors which will engage the caregiver and possibly serve as the roots of social behavior. / This thesis was digitized as part of a project begun in 2014 to increase the number of Duke psychology theses available online. The digitization project was spearheaded by Ciara Healy.

Thesis (M.S.V.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1979. / Bibliography: leaves 24-25. / by David Allen Parry. / Thesis (M.S.V.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1979.

Prematurity is a common health issue worldwide. In Hong Kong, the rate of prematurity is in an increasing trend, from 4.7% in 1999 to 5.1% in 2004 (Tertiary-wide Obstetric & Gynecology Audit Report, 2004). Preterm infants are usually required to hospitalize in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) which expose them to certain stressors such as noise, caregiver procedure, medical manipulations and pain (Harrison et al., 2003). Stress would lead to certain illnesses likes metabolic and cardiovascular disorders (Caldji, Diorio, & Meaney, 2000). Facing stress of preterm infants not only affects the developmental and neurodevelopment outcome but also increase the morbidity and mortality (Mitchell & Boss, 2002). Preterm birth is a complicated health problem which affects the infant itself and also increase the burden to society as it costs nearly US$26 billion dollars per year for both inpatient and outpatient care (Richard & Adrienne, 2007). Although there were many known benefits of massage therapy in premature infants and the safety of practicing was being acknowledged, massage therapy is still not being practiced in Hong Kong health care settings. Massage therapy was effective in reducing signs of stress on premature infants and could be performed by parents safely as evidenced by six researches (Dieter, Field, Hernandez-Reif, Emory, & Redzepi, 2003; Hernandez-Reif, Diego, & Field, 2007; Lee, 2005; Kuhn, Schanberg, Field, Symanski, Zimmerman, Scafidi, & Roberts, 1991; Smith, Kux, Haley, Beechy, & Moyer-Mileur, 2012; Wheeden, Scafidi, Ironson, Valdeon, & Bandstra, 1993). Based on the evidence, a new evidence-based practice was developed for reducing signs of stress of premature infant by using massage therapy in NICU. Implementation potential was reviewed in relation to target setting, transferability of findings and cost-benefit analysis. Implementation plan was developed. Stakeholders were identified and communication process was discussed in details. Pilot testing would be carried out to assess the feasibility of implementing the guideline. Finally, evaluation on patient, parents and healthcare providers’ outcome were required in implementing this new change smoothly. / published_or_final_version / Nursing Studies / Master / Master of Nursing

Hypothermia at birth is strongly associated with mortality and morbidity in preterm infants. Unfortunately, infants are prone to hypothermia immediately after birth. A large proportion of preterm infants, especially those of gestational age at less than 30 weeks, experience different levels of hypothermia. A frequently used possible preventive measure is the application of an occlusive wrap immediately after birth. However, no systematic review on this preventive measure supports its translation into practice. This dissertation aimed to evaluate the current evidence on the application of occlusive warp for preterm infants. Four electronic databases, Cochrane Library, PubMed, CINAHL, and Medline, were searched. Eight studies met the inclusion criteria of this dissertation. Data were extracted and the quality of the included studies was evaluated by the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN). Six studies were graded as high quality studies and showed that occlusive wrapping significantly prevented the incidence of hypothermia among the preterm infants smaller than 30 weeks. An evidence-based Superwarm guideline was developed, which was deemed to be transferable to the local setting of neonatal intensive care unit with similar target clients and philosophy of care as with those in the identified studies. Also, the proposed innovation was considered to be feasible after examination of staff competency, resources, and approval methods. The potential benefits to preterm infants, nurses, and also the hospital were high, and risks to the patient were minimal. The estimated set-up cost including manpower and consumable cost was $1,720, and the running cost was also $1,720 per year. A 12 -month implementation program scheduled including communication with stakeholders, training to the frontline nurses, and a pilot of the guideline. Patient outcomes will be measured by admission temperature, temperature one hour after admission, and mortality rate. Healthcare provider outcomes include compliance rate, workload, acceptance of the proposed guideline, job satisfaction, knowledge, and skill enhancement in thermoregulation of the preterm infants. The quality of patient care was also considered in the system outcomes. Guideline effectiveness will be evaluated by the increase in admission temperature, nurse and physician satisfaction, and controlled program expenditure. / published_or_final_version / Nursing Studies / Master / Master of Nursing