Early intervention in the neonatal intensive care unit with follow-up at home targeting the motor skills of premature infants. Intervención temprana en la unidad de cuidado intensivo neonatal con seguimiento en casa dirigidas a las habilidades motoras de niños prematuros. A Review of the literature

Abstract

Introduction: Prematurity is an important cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality associated with an increased neurological risk because between the 20 and 37 weeks of gestation occurs a rapid cortical growth, particularly in sensoriomotor areas which potentially affects neurodevelopment. From different fields, strategies have been proposed that seek to prevent the brain from being damaged by intense and painful stimulation known as "Developmental Centered Care”. However, there is little literature available at the national level that provides evidence of the effectiveness of early intervention that favors the development of babies' motor skills in the NICU. Therefore, the objective of this study is to know the early intervention strategies used to improve motor skills in premature babies as reported in the literature.Method: A literature review is carried out in 3 databases (Scopus, Clinicalkey and ScienceDirect) during the years 2016 to 2020.Results: We reviewed 7 articles whose prevalent language is English on intervention strategies that begin in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and continue with follow-up at home. Conclusions: In some studies it is not possible to clearly show a dosage of the interventions performed. In turn, the active participation of parents is fundamental for the acquisition of motor skills in this population, the physiotherapist is responsible for training, guiding and accompanying the process with the family.