Music can boost premature babies' health in hospitals, study finds
Last updated 6/1/2009 6:50:00 PM
Music can boost premature babies health in hospitals
Latest research by a Canadian university suggests that hospitals that play sweet music to premature babies can help them thrive. A team of the University of Alberta found tunes led to calmer infants - and parents.
The evidence in its study also suggests that music helps with faster weight gain and shorter hospital stays. It also apparently reduce pain and encourages better oral feeding.
Even the heart and respiratory rate seemed to benefit, Archives of Disease in Childhood reports. The study authors, Dr Manoj Kumar and colleagues, concluded: "There is preliminary evidence to suggest that music may have beneficial effects in terms of physiological parameters, behavioural states and pain reduction during painful medical procedures.
"While there is preliminary evidence for some therapeutic benefits of music for specific indications, these benefits need to be confirmed in well-designed, high quality trials."
Increasing numbers of neonatal units are using music on their wards.Six of the studies the University of Alberta team looked at music played to babies during painful procedures such as circumcisions and heel prick tests.
The study used lullabies with or without added sounds, such as heartbeats or womb noises, and one used live music - a specially composed wordless lullaby sung by a female voice and accompanied by a harp.