The effect of a noise and light-reducing hat on the comfort and physiologic parameters of the preterm neonates

Abstract

Aim: This study was performed to evaluate the effect of hat that reduced noise and light on preterm neonatal comfort and physiologic parameters.Material and Methods: This randomized controlled experimental study was conducted with 60 preterm newborns aged 32-37 weeks in a neonatal intensive care unit. The hat, which was developed by the researchers, was designed with and without a visor. The newborns were randomly divided into two groups (hat with a visor = 30 newborns, hat without a visor = 30 newborns). Each group also formed its own control group because all parameters in each group were measured before wearing the hat. The comfort of the newborns was evaluated using the Premature Infant Comfort Scale. Heart rate, oxygen saturation, and respiratory rate were also measured.Results: It was found that there was a highly significant difference in terms of mean comfort score, heart rate, oxygen saturation, and respiratory rate of preterm newborns in the groups after wearing the hat compared with before the hat (p < 0.001). There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of comfort score, heart rate, oxygen saturation, and respiratory rate (p > 0.05).Discussion: The use of the noise and light-reducing hat positively affected the comfort and physiologic parameters of the preterm newborns.