Evidence · Review article
Early parental vocal contact in neonatal units: rationale and clinical guidelines for implementation.
- Allied health
- Comfort and nursing care
- Communicating with families
- Developmental care and positioning
- Family-integrated care
- Medical
- Neurology
- Nursing
Summary
This paper sets out the rationale and practical proposals for integrating early parental vocal contact into neonatal unit care. It reviews the development of voice perception in term and preterm newborns and the neuroscience underpinning auditory and multisensory interventions, with attention to gestational age and maturation. It then offers implementation guidance for staff supporting parents to modulate vocal interactions to infant cues, and discusses content, duration and frequency of vocal contact and the roles of parents and professionals. The approach is grounded in infant- and family-centred developmental care.
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- Licence:
- Open (Creative Commons)
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Guidelines are shown for education. Follow your unit's own guidance and senior advice.