Prematurity: can music have a role in neonatal intensive care unit?

Prematurity is a challenge for preterm infants (PTI) and their parents. Due to their overall immaturity, PTI have inadequate responses towards stress and an increased risk for impaired neurodevelopment. The unfavorable acoustic environment at Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) causes physiological instability, disrupts sleep cycles, and hampers important auditory experiences. The use of music as therapy in this population has been under research for decades with promising results so far. This narrative review aimed to summarize the effects of music on PTI and their parents at NICU, analyzing studies that were further classified as using music therapy (MT) or musical stimulation (MS), according to the intervention described. This review emphasizes the potential benefits of music as a complementary therapy at NICU, with a positive impact on many clinical aspects, such as vital signs, sleep quality, neurodevelopment, and growth, and an important influence on parent-infant bonding. Moreover, this review highlights MT for the consistency of positive results and the importance of an individualized approach. Future studies should investigate the effects of MT and MS interventions on NICU PTI based on their characteristics, trying to understand what suits each situation best, and aiming to establish some formal recommendations.