Background: Infants born preterm are at high risk of facing difficulties with acquiring speech, language and communication skills. Research on the direct benefits of parent--infant communication in neonatal units is limited. This study recognises that although neonatal nurses regard early communication as important, there is scope to develop a…

Few interventions and treatments for premature infants have undergone the rigors of a randomized controlled trial (RCT), the cornerstone of evidence-based healthcare. Multiple barriers in establishing a quality evidence base for the care of preterm infants are examined including the systematic exclusion of children from drug trials, vulnerability…

This study found that mothers (n=40) of extremely high-risk infants (averaging 1000 grams birthweight and 28 weeks gestational age) called upon the same experiences and sources of information as mothers of full-term infants. Infants of mothers with above average knowledge about infancy scored significantly higher on tests of infant development at…