The Norwegian Physical Therapy study for Preterm Infants

The study also attempts to increase the understanding of how parents experience being actively involved in education and practice of specific stimulation techniques designed to promote the child's motor development.It also focuses on whether the intervention has any effects on the parent-child relationship in the short and long term.

The intervention is carried out daily when the infant is six to four weeks preterm, i.e., from 34-36 weeks postmenstrual age. The intervention is individualized and customized based on the individual infant's development, behavior and needs. The parents conduct the daily stimulation after having received training from a physical therapist. The infants are followed up along with control subjects at term, 3, 6, 12 and 24 months corrected age.

The study began in March 2010. It is a collaboration between St. Olav's Hospital, Trondheim University Hospital HF, University Hospital of North Norway HF/Tromsø, University of Tromsø and the University of Illinois at Chicago. In addition Oslo University Hospital HF is a collaborative partner from Marz 1, 2013. Recruitment of infants takes place at the three hospitals in Norway.

March 2014: Workshop in Tromsø

To the left Special Physical Therapist in Pediatric Cathrine Labori, to the right  Physical Therapist in Pediatric Hilde Alstad. In the middle behind Clinical Specialist in Pediatric Physical Therapy MNFF (and Prosject Manager) Gunn Kristin Øberg. All three are working at the University Hospital Northern Norway, Tromsø.