Qur’anic Murrotal Therapy on the Vital Signs of Low-Birth-Weight Infants (LBWIs) in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

Abstract

Background: Low birth weight infants (LBWIs) are approximately 20 times more likely to experience mortality compared to infants born with higher birth weights. The majority of LBWIs are treated in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs). Neonates in NICUs are at risk of excessive auditory sensory stimulation which can trigger physiological changes in LBWIs, manifesting as increased heart rate, elevated respiratory rate, and decreased oxygen saturation. One method to maintain the stability of vital signs in neonates is the application of Qur’anic Murrotal therapy during NICU hospitalization. Purpose: This study aims to analyze the effect of Qur’anic Murrotal therapy on the vital signs of LBWIs.Methods: The research was conducted at the NICU of a public hospital in Banjarmasin using quasi-experimental design with a pretest-posttest approach. The population were 61 LBWIs in September-November 2023. 11 LBWIs were the sample using purposive sampling technique. The instrument was a vital sign monitoring table (oxygen saturation, heart rate, body temperature and respiratory rate). Analysis data was using Repeated Measures ANOVA.Results: Qur’anic Murrotal showed no significant effect on heart rate (p=0.45>0.05) and respiratory rate (p=0.722>0.05). However, it had significant effect on oxygen saturation (p=0.026<0.05) and body temperature (p=0.003<0.005). A statistically significant mean difference in oxygen saturation measurements was seen between Day 1 and Day 2 with -2.818 (p=0.002). In contrast, a significant difference mean in body temperature was recorded between Day 2 and Day 3 with -0.373 (p=0.014). However, the differences in respiratory and heart rates were not statistically significant (p>0.05).Conclusion: This study indicates Qur’anic Murrotal was effective in stability of oxygen saturation and body temperature in LBWIs. Nevertheless, it was not affective on heart and respiratory rates in LBWIs. Further studies are recommended to confirm these findings and to explore the effects of Qur’anic Murrotal on other factors.