The Effect of Holy Quran Recitation on the Physiological Responses of Premature Infants during Phlebotomy: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Abstract

<strong><em><span>Background: </span></em></strong><span>One of the painful procedures in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is phlebotomy.<span> However, the use of non-pharmacological approaches could be helpful in reducing the pain</span>. This study aimed to determine the effect of Quran recitation on the physiological parameters<span>of premature infants during and after phlebotomy</span>. </span><br /> <strong><em><span>Materials and Methods</span></em></strong><br /> <span><span>This randomized, double-blind clinical trial was performed on premature infants admitted to the NICU at Dr. Ganjavian hospital in Dezful, </span></span><span>Iran<span>. The infants were randomly divided in two equal groups (n=28). A Quran recitation was started five minutes before blood sampling </span>in the case group and it continued to play for another <span>20 minutes. The physiological symptoms were documented in both groups starting 10 minutes before blood sampling and continued until 20 minutes after it. The data was analyzed using SPSS software (version18.</span>0). </span><br /> <strong><em><span>Results: </span></em></strong><span>The primary outcomes of this study were the measurement of the heart rate, respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation<span>. The results </span>showed that the <span>heart rate slowed significantly in the intervention group</span> (p<0.05). There was a <span>significant difference</span> in the <span>oxygen saturation between the groups (p<0.05). The respiratory rate showed a significant difference between the groups (p=0.039) only 20 minutes after </span>blood sampling<span>.</span></span><br /> <strong><em><span>Conclusion</span></em></strong><br /> <span>The findings indicated that <span>Quran recitation</span> can help improve <span><span>physiological parameters</span></span> and can be used as a routine standard method in NICU. </span>