Interventions to support parents, families and caregivers in caring for preterm or low birth weight infants at home: a systematic review

Background Preterm and low birth weight (LBW) (<2500g) infants are at greater risk of mortality and morbidity. Interventions to support parents to care for their newborn infant in the home may help to improve outcomes. Objective To determine what interventions, approaches, or strategies to support mothers/fathers/caregivers and families in caring for preterm or LBW infants in the home have been effective in improving outcomes. Methods A comprehensive search of relevant electronic databases, including MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials was completed in September 22. Two reviewers screened papers in Covidence and extracted data from 41 included papers. Quality of papers and certainty of evidence were assessed using CASP and GRADE, respectively. Results There is some evidence that support interventions may improve outcomes related to infant mortality, improvements in infant growth, exclusive breastfeeding, infant cognitive development, immunisation uptake, and reduction in maternal stress and depression. However, the overall certainty of evidence is low or very low in the majority of studies. Conclusions Interventions providing support for parents to care for infants in the home may improve outcomes for this population. There is a need for well-considered large scale support interventions, prioritised and developed with women and families.