Comparison of conventional phototherapy and phototherapy along with Kangaroo mother care on cutaneous bilirubin of neonates with physiological jaundice

Abstract

Background: One of the adjuvant and desirable therapies is skin contact between mother and baby or Kangaroo mother care (KMC) that is a cheap, accessible, relaxing, noninvasive and easy method. This study aimed to compare the effect of conventional phototherapy method and phototherapy along with KMC on cutaneous bilirubin in neonates with physiological jaundice.

Materials and methods: In this randomized clinical trial, all infants with physiological jaundice who referred for phototherapy to Mofid Hospital of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran were selected by convenience sampling based on inclusion criteria and were randomly assigned into two groups of conventional phototherapy (n = 35) and phototherapy along with KMC (n = 35).

Results: The results showed that there was a significant difference in the average volume of skin bilirubin before treatment with cutaneous bilirubin every 24 h after treatment (p < .001). This significant difference was present in both intervention and control groups. Although the average volume of skin bilirubin every 24 h after treatment was lower in the intervention group than the control group, this difference was not statistically significant (p = .236). Mean duration of hospitalization of infants in the intervention group was significantly lower than the control group (2.09 versus 3.03 d, p < .001).

Conclusion: Although KMC along with phototherapy has a favorable effect on the reduction of cutaneous bilirubin in neonates with physiological jaundice, there are not significant differences in routine care. This may need to do KMC for a longer time (more than 1 h) which must be surveyed in the future studies. KMC was effective in reduction of the duration of hospitalization in jaundiced infants.

Keywords:

• Physiologic jaundice
• phototherapy
• Kangaroo mother care

Acknowledgements

This study is based on the MSc thesis with approval code of 408 at Shahid Bheheshti University of Medical Sciences. We appreciate the collaboration of nurses and doctors in the neonatal ward of the Mofid Hospital and the mothers of the infants admitted to this hospital.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was funded by Shahid Bheheshti University of Medical Sciences.