Immersive Physical Therapy in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

February 16, 2026 updated by: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Immersive Physical Therapy in the NICU: Comparing Delivery Models to Improve Infant and Parent Outcomes

To learn if and how the physical and occupational therapy program in the Newborn Critical Care Center helps parents with their stress levels and ability to meet the needs of their preterm infants.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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.

Detailed Description

Composed of one retrospective group and two prospective groups. Each group will be defined based on the stage of enrollment, which will coincide with the rollout of two different standard-of-care initiatives in the hospital. These initiatives are determined outside of the study protocol. The retrospective group will be composed of infants that are under the current initiative. The small baby unit will then be implemented within the hospital site, and infants and parents enrolled at that time will reflect the impact of the small baby unit. The small baby unit will then transition into an immersive physical therapy model, and any infants and parents enrolled at that time will reflect the impact of this second-tier initiative.

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.
Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

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.
150

Contacts and Locations

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

Study Locations

  • United States
    • North Carolina
      • Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States, 27599
        • Recruiting
        • Unc Hospitals
        • Contact:

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

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Infants and parents identified as part of the NICU at certain University of North Carolina (UNC) Hospital locations

Description

Infant Inclusion Criteria:

  • <29 weeks gestation at birth
  • born or transferred to UNC's Newborn Critical Care Center within the first 48 hours of life
  • If in the SBU or Immersive PT groups: Must be cared for at certain UNC Hospital locations through at least 34 weeks postmenopausal age

Infant Exclusion Criteria:

  • Has a high likelihood of transferring to an outside hospital
  • Has a genetic abnormality, congenital neurological or musculoskeletal disorder

Maternal Inclusion Criteria:

  • Is the biological parent
  • Sex is female
  • Understands English or Spanish Language
  • Is at least 18 years of age

Maternal Exclusion Criteria:

  • Is not the biological parent
  • Sex is male
  • Does not understand English or Spanish language
  • Is under 18 years of age

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

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Usual Care
A retrospective group of infants whose data represent usual care
Small Baby Unit
A group comprised of infants and their parents that represent implementation of a Small Baby Unit (SBU)
Immersive Physical Therapy
A group comprised of infants and their parents that represent the small baby unit where parents are also asked to administer physical therapy techniques with their infants

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
Number of physical therapy visits
Time Frame: From birth to hospital discharge, assessed up to 4 months of life
The number of physical therapy visits to the infant's bedside per week, as noted in the medical record
From birth to hospital discharge, assessed up to 4 months of life
Number of physical therapy minutes billed
Time Frame: From birth to hospital discharge, assessed up to 4 months of life
The number of physical therapy minutes billed per week as noted in the medical record
From birth to hospital discharge, assessed up to 4 months of life
Number of physical therapy interactions by parent
Time Frame: From birth to hospital discharge, assessed up to 4 months of life
The number of times per week that mothers report doing physical therapy with their infant, with higher numbers indicating a greater dosage
From birth to hospital discharge, assessed up to 4 months of life
Infant Motor Skills
Time Frame: Assessed at 34 to 36 weeks postmenstrual age
Motor skills will be measured via the Test of Infant Motor Performance, a 42-item test of functional motor skills with age standards from 34 weeks post-menstrual age through 17 weeks post-term. Scores range from 0 to 142 with higher scores indicating better performance. Scores are transformed into an age standard based on performance.
Assessed at 34 to 36 weeks postmenstrual age

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
Degree of Parent-Therapist Contact
Time Frame: From birth to hospital discharge, assessed up to 4 months of life
The number of times per week that the parent received education on physical therapy techniques as documented in clinical notes
From birth to hospital discharge, assessed up to 4 months of life
Change in Maternal Stress
Time Frame: From birth to hospital discharge, assessed up to 4 months of life
Maternal Stress will be measured via the Parent Stress Scale: NICU, a 26-item tool to assess parent stress in NICU that covers topics such as: Infant Appearance, Parental Role Alteration, Sights & Sounds. Scores range from 0 to 130 with higher scores indicating greater stress
From birth to hospital discharge, assessed up to 4 months of life
Change in Parent Competence
Time Frame: From birth to hospital discharge, assessed up to 4 months of life
Parent Competence will be measured via the Parent Sense of Competence Scale,17-item scale to assess change in the parent's sense of competence in infant care. Scores range from 17 to 102 with higher scores indicating higher sense of competence
From birth to hospital discharge, assessed up to 4 months of life
Infant Neurobehavior
Time Frame: Assessed at 34 to 36 weeks postmenstrual age
Neurobehavior will be measured via the NeoNatal Neurobehavioral Scales-II, a valid and reliable neurobehavioral assessment for high-risk infants across 13 different scales, including habituation, attention, arousal, self-regulation, and more. Due to the varied performance across these scales and their different ranges, it can be challenging to determine an overall exam response for each infant. Therefore, grouping response patterns into discrete profiles through latent profile analysis offers a simpler way to compare NNNS performance among infants.
Assessed at 34 to 36 weeks postmenstrual age

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.
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Foundation for Physical Therapy Research

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: Dana McCarty, PT, DPT, PhD, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

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.
November 1, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

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, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

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, 2027

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).
April 3, 2025

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.
April 11, 2025

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.
April 15, 2025

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.
February 17, 2026

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.
February 16, 2026

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.
February 1, 2026

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.
  • 24-2424

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

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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