Title : Comparative effectiveness of multi-sensory interventions for reducing pain among premature infants: A systematic review and network meta-analysis
Abstract:
Background: Multi-sensory interventions yield positive effects in reducing pain among premature infants. Nevertheless, the effectiveness of different multi-sensory interventions for pain relief in premature infants remain inconclusive.
Objective: This systematic review and network meta-analysis aims to compare the effectiveness of various multi-sensory interventions, and identify the optimal intervention for alleviating pain in premature infants. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was performed across eight electronic databases on January 17, 2024 to identify pertinent clinical trials. Additionally, a grey literature search was conducted on June 29, 2024. Network meta-analysis were used to assess the effectiveness of multi-sensory interventions and identify the optimal intervention components. The Cochrane Risk of Bias (version 2) was used to assess the quality and potential bias of each included study. The certainty of evidence was assessed using the Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation system.
Results: A total of 18 clinical trials involving 1408 premature infants were included. The network meta- analysis revealed that, tactile-auditory intervention, tactile-kinesthetic intervention, and tactile-visual- gustatory-auditory-olfactory intervention were superior to routine care for pain reduction (all, P<0.05). Among these measures, tactile-kinesthetic intervention ranks the best for alleviating pain among premature infants with very low certainty of evidence. Closely followed by tactile-auditory intervention, which has low certainty of evidence.
Conclusions: Our study suggests prioritizing the tactile-auditory intervention for pain reduction in premature infants. Future studies should provide higher-quality evidence, and adapt it to various clinical settings to enhance the overall well-being and optimal development of premature infants.
