Clinical application of the Standard Operating Procedure of Positioning with Premature Infants.

Objective: To compare the physiological and behavioral responses of Premature Infant (PREEMIE) positioned by the Unit Routine Decubitus (URD) and the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).

Method: A quasi-experimental comparative study performed at a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Southern Brazil. We evaluated 30 PREEMIEs with gestational age ≤32 weeks, randomly assigned to Unit Routine Decubitus (URD) and Intervention Group (IG), subdivided into Right Lateral Decubitus (RLD), Dorsal Decubitus (DD), Left Lateral Decubitus (LLD) and Ventral Decubitus (VD). It was evaluated before, during and after the procedure: Heart Rate (HR); Respiratory Frequency (RF); Peripheral Oxygen Saturation (SpO2); behavior by the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS); by NIPS.

Results: During the intervention, RR (p = 0.023), indexes in NBAS (p = 0.01) and NIPS (p <0.0001) reduced significantly in SOP. HR and SpO2 did not present a significant difference.

Conclusion: Positioning according to the SOP shows benefit in relation to the behavioral and physiological status of PREEMIE.