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Moderate‐To‐Late Preterm Infants Benefit From the Early Collaborative Intervention: Primary Outcomes of an RCT

Year: 2025

Type: article

Study designs: Randomized Controlled Trial, Clinical Trial

Abstract: AIM: This study aimed to determine the longitudinal impact of the EArly Collaborative Intervention (EACI), a three-session early intervention designed to enhance parent-infant interaction, on the developmental outcomes of preterm infants born between 30 + 0 and 35 + 6 weeks of gestation. METHODS: This randomised controlled blinded study recruited families in two neonatal intensive care units in Sweden. In this one-year follow-up, 87 infants (standard care = 37, standard care with EACI = 50) were included in the intention-to-treat analysis. The primary study outcomes were cognition, receptive and expressive communication, and fine and gross motor development measured with the Bayley-III. RESULTS: = 0.051. No statistically significant effects were found on the other Bayley-III outcome measures. There were no significant differences between the groups regarding gestational age, birth weight, gender, parents' education, or age at assessment. CONCLUSION: This new intervention indicates a small positive effect on moderate-to-late preterm infants' communication ability at one year of age. Though the attrition rate was relatively large, results are encouraging since clinical interventions supporting moderate-to-late preterm infants and parents are lacking. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02034617.

Source: Acta Paediatrica

DOI: 10.1111/apa.70173