The prospect of having a premature infant can be highly stressful. But a new study found that providing pregnant patients hospitalized for preterm labor with detailed information about what to expect with an early birth significantly reduced their anxiety about the process.
The study found that both printed handouts and a tablet app were associated with a 50% reduction in anxiety and appeared to be equally effective, although the handouts are likely easier to use in the high-stress environment of neonatal intensive care facilities, according to the researchers, who presented the findings April 25 at the 2022 annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies, in Denver, Colorado.
Dr Nicole Rau
“When patients get admitted for preterm labor a neonatologist comes to talk to parents about outcomes, short- and long-term, like bleeding in the baby's brain and the possible need to have surgeries,” said Nicole Rau, MD, assistant professor of clinical pediatrics at University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria, who led the study. “Then parents are asked to make decisions during a high-stress time while they’re still processing everything. Everyone agrees that's really not ideal.”
About one in 10 babies in the United States are born prematurely— or before 37 weeks of gestation — each year.
