Effect of a structured healthcare professional-supported kangaroo care model on clinical outcomes in preterm neonates: A retrospective quasi-experimental cohort study.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effects of a structured healthcare professional-supported kangaroo mother care (KMC) model on physiological stability and clinical outcomes in preterm neonates hospitalized in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

METHODS

This retrospective quasi-experimental before-after cohort study included 64 preterm neonates (intervention: n = 33; comparison: n = 31) admitted to a tertiary-level NICU. During the comparison period, conventional KMC was provided once daily by mothers. Following implementation of a structured NICU protocol on 1 March 2025, KMC was administered eight times daily at three-hour intervals by both mothers and midwives/nurses. Primary outcomes included length of hospital stay and physiological parameters measured before and after KMC sessions.

RESULTS

Neonates in the intervention group had a significantly shorter hospital stay than those in the comparison group (p < 0.001). After adjustment for gestational age, birth weight, and sex, comparison-group neonates had an adjusted hospital stay 9.88 days longer than intervention-group neonates (B = 9.884, 95% CI: 5.280-14.487, p < 0.001; R2 = 0.769). Post-KMC heart and respiratory rates were significantly lower and oxygen saturation was significantly higher in the intervention group (p < 0.001). Within-group analyses also showed significant improvements in physiological parameters following KMC, with larger effect sizes in the intervention group.

CONCLUSION

A structured healthcare professional-supported KMC model was associated with improved physiological stability and shorter hospitalization, supporting the integration of midwives and nurses to sustain KMC in NICU settings.