The effect of kangaroo mother care or skin-to-skin contact on infant vital signs: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: It has been reported that kangaroo mother care/skin-to-skin contact immediately after birth facilitates the newborn's physiological and psychological adaptation to extrauterine life. Objective: To examine the effect of kangaroo mother care/skin-to-skin contact on infants’ body temperature, oxygen saturation, respiratory rate and heart rate. Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: PubMed, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, Wiley Online Library and Taylor & Francis Online were searched for the period 1 January 2015 to 30 November 2021 for studies published in the English language. The methodological quality of articles was assessed using the modified Jadad scale and the Newcastle–Ottawa scale. Effect size calculations were made using the fixed effects and random effects models. Findings: This meta-analysis included 13 studies, with a total of 891 infants. Kangaroo mother care/skin-to-skin contact was effective for maintaining infants’ body temperature (p = 0.000). Infants’ heart rate decreased (p = 0.015) and oxygen saturation was higher (p = 0.040) following kangaroo mother care/skin-to-skin contact. Kangaroo mother care/skin-to-skin contact did not affect infants’ respiratory rate (p = 0.896), but infants’ respiratory rate decreased after kangaroo mother care/skin-to-skin contact (p = 0.047). Key conclusions and implications for practice: Kangaroo mother care/skin-to-skin contact is effective for improving the vital signs of newborns. Kangaroo mother care/skin-to-skin contact is recommended for all neonates, and standardization of this approach would be beneficial