Two-year motor outcomes associated with the dose of NICU based physical therapy: The Noppi RCT

Gunn Kristin Øberg; Bjørn Helge Handegård; Suzann K Campbell; Tordis Ustad; Toril Fjørtoft; Per Ivar Kaaresen; Gay L Girolami

doi:10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2022.105680

Two-year motor outcomes associated with the dose of NICU based physical therapy: The Noppi RCT

Early Hum Dev. 2022 Nov:174:105680. doi: 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2022.105680. Epub 2022 Sep 25.

Authors

Gunn Kristin Øberg¹, Bjørn Helge Handegård², Suzann K Campbell³, Tordis Ustad⁴, Toril Fjørtoft⁵, Per Ivar Kaaresen⁶, Gay L Girolami⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Health and Care Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT the Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway; Department of Clinical Therapeutic Services, University Hospital North Norway, Tromsø, Norway. Electronic address: gunn.kristin.oeberg@uit.no.
² Regional Center for Child and Youth Mental Health and Child Welfare, UiT the Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway. Electronic address: bjorn.helge.handegaard@uit.no.
³ Department of Physical Therapy, College of Applied Health Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA. Electronic address: skc@uic.edu.
⁴ Department of Clinical Services, St. Olavs Hospital, Trondheim University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway; Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway. Electronic address: tordis.ustad@ntnu.no.
⁵ Department of Clinical Services, St. Olavs Hospital, Trondheim University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway; Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway. Electronic address: toril.fjortoft@ntnu.no.
⁶ Pediatric and Adolescent Department, University Hospital North Norway HF, Norway; Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT the Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway. Electronic address: per.ivar.kaaresen@unn.no.
⁷ Department of Physical Therapy, College of Applied Health Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA. Electronic address: gayg@uic.edu.

PMID: 36183567
DOI: 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2022.105680

Abstract

Background: Interventions involving both the parent and the preterm infant have demonstrated lasting effects on cognitive outcomes, but motor effects are less salient. It remains unclear when to commence early intervention and if dosages have impact on motor outcomes.

Aims: To examine the effect on motor performance at 24-months corrected age following a parent-administered intervention performed with infants born preterm in the NICU. Intervention dosing and longitudinal motor performance were also analyzed.

Study design: Single-blinded randomized multicenter clinical trial.

Subjects: 153 infants born, gestational age ≤ 32 weeks at birth, were randomized into intervention or control group.

Outcome measures: Infant Motor Performance Screening Test, Test of Infant Motor Performance, Peabody Developmental Motor Scales-2.

Results: No significant difference was found between the intervention and the control group assessed with the PDMS-2 at 24-months CA. However, a significant positive association was found between dosing and the Gross Motor and Total Motor PDMS-2 scores. Analysis of longitudinal motor performance showed a decreasing motor performance between 6- and 24-months corrected age in both groups.

Conclusions: There was no difference in motor performance between groups at 24-months corrected age. However, increased intervention dosage was positively associated with improved motor outcome.

Keywords: Early intervention; Motor development; Parent-administered intervention; Preterm infants.

Publication types

Randomized Controlled Trial
Multicenter Study
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Child Development
Early Intervention, Educational
Gestational Age
Humans
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Infant, Premature*
Intensive Care Units, Neonatal*
Physical Therapy Modalities