BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Low birthweight is one the common problems of infants and one of the main health indicators of a society. Weight is one the major determinants of physical and mental development in infants, particularly preterm infants. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of MULTISENSORY STIMULATION on weight gain of preterm infants.METHODS: In this double-blind clinical trial, 80 preterm infants born at 32-36 weeks gestational age, were randomly divided into two groups (control and MULTISENSORY STIMULATION). The intervention group received MULTISENSORY STIMULATION program consisting of 12-minute daily sessions, 5 times a week until the day of discharge and the control group received only the usual care. Infants were weighed every day until the day of discharge (IRCT registration code: 2016073114454N2).FINDINGS: No significant difference was observed between the two groups of preterm infants in terms of gestational age, birthweight and sex. The difference between mean weight gain on the first day and the day of discharge was 131.6±10.1 g in the intervention group and 58.9±10.2 g in the control group. The difference between the two groups was significant (p<0.001).CONCLUSION: The Results of the study revealed that using MULTISENSORY STIMULATION for weight gain of preterm infants is a cost-effective and effective method.

Introduction: Height and head circumference is one of the criteria for physical health of preterm infants and indicates their neuromuscular development. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of MULTISENSORY STIMULATION on height and head circumference of preterm infants. Methods: The present study was a clinical trial study,which was performed on premature infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit at Shahid Motahari Hospital in Jahrom City, Iran, in 2016. Initially, 80 infants with a gestational age of 32 to 36 weeks were randomly divided into two groups of MULTISENSORY STIMULATION and control. The intervention method in this study was that the intervention group had a MULTISENSORY STIMULATION program (auditory STIMULATION, tactile STIMULATION, visual STIMULATION and vestibular STIMULATION) by mothers for 12 minutes per day and 5 times a week until discharge and in the control group they only received the usual care ward. The height and head circumference were measured by the researcher with a meter until the day the infant was discharged from the ward. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 16. Results: There was no significant difference between the two groups of preterm infants in terms of fetal age, birth weight and sex. Based on the comparison between groups, a significant difference was observed in the two groups in terms of height and head circumference (P <0. 001). Conclusion: The findings of this study show that MULTISENSORY STIMULATION affects the physical development of premature infants.

Background: Eye examination for screening of Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP), as a painful procedure, causes physiological changes in premature infants. MULTISENSORY STIMULATION is a non-pharmacological analgesic method which affects physiological measures during painful procedures.Aim: To determine the effect of MULTISENSORY STIMULATION on oxygen saturation in premature infants during eye examinations Methods: In this single-blind randomized clinical trial, 80 premature infants in Khatamolanbya hospital of Mashhad in 2014 were randomly divided into two groups of “control” and “MULTISENSORY STIMULATION”. In the intervention group, MULTISENSORY STIMULATION was administered 15 minutes before the start of the examination and the control group received standard care. Arterial oxygen saturation of each infant was recorded at 30-second intervals before, during, and after eye examination in a researcher-built checklist and a physiological characteristics form. Data were analyzed by independent t-test, Mann-Whitney, and repeated measures ANOVA using SPSS version 11.5.Results: The mean gestational age of MULTISENSORY STIMULATION group was 30.4±7.1 and the control group was 30.6±8.1 weeks. Based on the analysis of variance with repeated measures, arterial blood oxygen saturation was significantly different in both groups during the evaluation (p<0.001); which was 92.6±3.5 in the intervention group and 90.1±2.0 in the control group during eyes examinations. Changes in oxygen saturation during the examination was significant in the two groups (p<0.001).Conclusion: MULTISENSORY STIMULATION program causes smaller reduction in oxygen saturation. MULTISENSORY STIMULATION can be used as a way to reduce physiological changes during eye examination.

Background Eye examination for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) examinations is a screening test which is among the painful procedures in neonatal care unit. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of MULTISENSORY stimuli and breast milk on intensity of pain in premature infants during eye examination. Materials and Methods: This study is a randomized clinical trial. Ninety premature infants in Shahid Sadoughi hospital of Yazd, Iran, were randomly divided into 3 groups included: two intervention groups (1-MULTISENSORY STIMULATION (30 infants), 2-the recipient of the mother’, s breast milk (30 infants), and control group (30 infants) who received the usual care of the ward. In this study, pain index score was recorded at 6 times based on Premature Infant Pain Profile (PIPP). Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 20. 0. Results: The mean pain score during the eye examination in the control group was significantly higher than two intervention groups (p>0. 05). Both sensory STIMULATION and breast milk intervention groups reduced the pain score, but the sensory STIMULATION group reached the baseline score earlier than the breast milk group, so that in 1. 5 minutes after the second eye examination, there was a significant difference between the pain scores of the two intervention groups (p <0. 05). Conclusion According to the results of this study, MULTISENSORY STIMULATION and breast milk both can be used to reduce pain in preterm infants during ROP examinations. Although the effect of MULTISENSORY STIMULATION was slightly greater, breast milk could be a good alternative to a MULTISENSORY STIMULATION because it is a natural safe and effective analgesic at no cost.

Backgrounds and Objectives: Eye examination for Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) screening is a painful procedure that causes behavioral changes in premature infants. MULTISENSORY STIMULATION is a non-pharmacological analgesic method, which affects the behavior measures during painful procedures. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of MULTISENSORY STIMULATION on infant behavior during an eye examination for ROP screening.Material & Methods: In this single blind randomized clinical trial, eighty premature from Khatamolanbya hospital in Mashhad at July 2014 were divided randomly into two groups. In the intervention group, MULTISENSORY STIMULATION was performed 15 minutes before the start of the examination and the control group received standard care. Infant behaviors were recorded at 30 seconds intervals; before, during, and after eye examination. Data were analyzed by independent t test and repeated measures ANOVA using the SPSS version 14 software.Results: 53.2% of the babies were girls and 46.8% were boys. The mean gestational age of MULTISENSORY STIMULATION was 30.6±1.8 weeks and the normal group was 30.6±8.1 weeks. Behavioral status was significantly different in both groups during the evaluation (p<0.001). Behavioral changes during the examination of the two groups was significant (p<0.001); however there was a greater reduction in the control in comparison with the intervention group.Conclusion: MULTISENSORY STIMULATION program causes lower changes in behavioral status, and can be used as a way to reduce behavioral changes during an eye examination in infants.

Context: Effective management of anxiety and depression in older adults undergoing dialysis is essential because of unpleasant consequences. Aims: This study aimed to comparison the effect of MULTISENSORY STIMULATION intervention and lavender aromatherapy on anxiety and depression in the older adults undergoing hemodialysis. Setting and Design: This was an interventional study with two groups with pre and posttest plan (IRCTID: IRCT20170611034454N4). Materials and Methods: This study was conducted on 48 patients in Sari in 2020 that were randomly divided into MULTISENSORY STIMULATION and aromatherapy groups. Anxiety and depression were measured by geriatric anxiety inventory and geriatric depression scale. Patients received interventions 3 days of a week for 4 weeks. Statistical Analysis Used: Data were analyzed using SPSS v. 21. Mann– Whitney U test was used to compare the anxiety and depression, as divided by the time intervals to before and after the intervention between two groups. Friedman test was utilized to compare the anxiety and depression over the various measurement times in each group. Results: Significance difference were found in each group in terms of anxiety and depression reduction during various measurement times (P < 0. 001). There was a significant difference between two groups in terms of depression one week after the end of the intervention (P = 0. 03). Conclusion: According to the results, it seems that MULTISENSORY STIMULATION intervention and aromatherapy can be useful for improving the anxiety and depression but MULTISENSORY STIMULATION was more effective to improve depression.