BOTOTA, Colombia, Nov. 12 (UPI) -- Colombian doctors have found a simple, effective and safe way to care for premature babies in poor countries that works in rich nations, too.
The team from the Javeriana University medical school, whose work is summarized in this week's edition of the British Medical Journal, call their technique "Kangaroo Mother Care."
Developed in 1978 to deal with overcrowding of neonatal units in Colombia, it calls for underweight babies to be attached to the chest of either parent or another caregiver in skin-to-skin contact and kept upright 24 hours a day.
The researchers say current evidence indicates Kangaroo Mother Care is at least as effective as traditional care with incubators. Studies also show the method safe, works at a fraction of the cost of an incubator, improves breastfeeding rates and improves bonding between mother and infant. Parental sense of fulfillment and confidence are also improved.
The technique is now practiced in 25 developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Its use is also supported in industrialized countries such as France, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States.
