Nurturing and Quiet Intervention: NeuroN-QI (NeuroN-QI)

March 17, 2025 updated by: Marilyn Aita, St. Justine's Hospital

Nurturing and Quiet Intervention (NeuroN-QI) on Preterm Infants' Neurodevelopment and Maternal Stress and Anxiety: Protocol of a Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial

The current state of knowledge reveals that the development of the brain of preterm infants is influenced by specific neonatal experiences during hospitalization, such as environmental sensory stimulation (light and noise), as well as physical and emotional proximity to mothers. However, there is a lack of evidence regarding the benefits that could be associated with the combination of care interventions to improve the health outcomes of preterm infants and their mothers, and in particular the development of the brain of infants during their hospitalization in the neonatal unit. The aim of this pilot study is to assess the feasibility and acceptability of a developmental care intervention including periods of nurturing between mothers and their infant (skin-to-skin contact and auditory stimulation) to promote physical and emotional proximity and a quiet period (controlled light and noise levels and olfactory stimulation in incubators) and to estimate the effect of this intervention on infants' neurodevelopment as well as on maternal stress and anxiety.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
24

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • Canada
    • Quebec
      • Montréal, Quebec, Canada, H3T 1C5
        • CHU Sainte-Justine

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

6 months to 7 months (Child)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Infants:

- born between 26 and 316/7 WGA.

Mothers

  • agree to do 4 SSC sessions/week with a 15-minutes period of auditory (reading) stimulation;
  • express breast milk for their infant;
  • speak, read, or write French or English.

Nurses:

  • have at least 6 months of work experience in a NICU;
  • speak and read French or English.

Exclusion Criteria:

Infants:

  • have birth defects or genetic disorders;
  • have an intraventricular hemorrhage > grade II;
  • receive nasal respiratory support;
  • have been transferred from another hospital.

Mothers:

  • are <18 years of age;
  • had a multiparous birth;
  • have a physical condition that does not allow SSC;
  • abuse substances or alcohol;
  • do not intend to breastfeed or give breastmilk.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Other
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Experimental
Each SSC session will last 2-hr during the day including a 15-min of auditory stimulation with maternal voice and controlled levels of NICU light and noise. The 2-hr SSC will be followed by a 1-hr quiet period where infants will rest in their incubator/crib with a pad immersed with their mother breast milk for olfactory stimulation and where the control of light and noise levels will be continued. The NeuroN-QI will be done 4 times/wk for each dyad.
Other: NeuroN-QI
SSC session lasting 2-hr during the day 4 times/wk including a 15-min of auditory stimulation with maternal voice and controlled levels of NICU light and noise followed by a 1-hr quiet period where infants will rest in their incubator/crib with olfactory stimulation and where the control of light and noise levels will be continued.
No Intervention: Control
Mothers-infant dyads will do 4 SSC/wk. During these sessions, no attempt will be made by the RA to control the light and noise levels nor to encourage auditory stimulation. The SSC periods will not be followed by a quiet period nor olfactory stimulation.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Feasibility and acceptability of the NeuroN-QI and the study procedures as assessed by a self-completed questionnaire (mothers) and a logbook (RA)
Time Frame: 1 year
questionnaire completed by mothers - each question treated separately (no total score) Log book completed by a research assistant
1 year

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Estimated effects of NeuroN-QI on infants' neurodevelopment as assessed using the Assessment of Preterm Infants Behavior (APIB)
Time Frame: 1 year
Observation scale by videos
1 year
Estimated effects of NeuroN-QI on infants' neurodevelopment as assessed using the General Movements Assessment (GMA)
Time Frame: 1 year
Observation by videos
1 year
Estimated effects of NeuroN-QI on maternal stress as assessed by PSS:NICU
Time Frame: 1 year
1 year
Estimated effects of NeuroN-QI on maternal anxiety as assessed by STAI-Y
Time Frame: 1 year
1 year
Nurses' training needs about the NeuroN-QI as assessed by a self-completed questionnaire
Time Frame: 1 year
Questionnaire completed by nurses - each question treated separately from strongly disagree to totally strongly agree (no total score)
1 year
Acceptability of the NeuroN-QI as assessed by a self-completed questionnaire
Time Frame: 1 year
questionnaire completed by nurses - each question treated separately from totally acceptable to totally unacceptable (no total score)
1 year
Feasibility of the NeuroN-QI as assessed by a self-completed questionnaire
Time Frame: 1 year
questionnaire completed by nurses - each question treated separately from totally feasible to totally unfeasible (no total score)
1 year

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Confounding variables
Time Frame: 1 year
birth weight, WGA at birth, postnatal age at the beginning of the intervention, APGAR score, mothers' use of psychological health care resources, other SSC sessions, SNAPPE-II, and light and noise levels with soundmeter and light meter
1 year

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
St. Justine's Hospital

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Marilyn Aita, PhD, St. Justine's Hospital

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
June 1, 2021

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
June 1, 2024

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
June 1, 2024

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
August 25, 2020

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
October 13, 2020

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
October 19, 2020

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
March 25, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 17, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
November 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • MP-21-2020-2587 (MP)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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