An integrative research review of intervention studies with premature infants from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The recent emphasis on intervention programs to better the prospects of children from poor and minority backgrounds sparked this integrative review of studies looking at disadvantaged families with premature infants. The author uses three areas to characterize the studies reviewed: The type of intervention, attrition rates, and outcome measures. Thirteen studies are abstracted and examined. Suggestions are offered related to the characteristics of successful interventions, how to decrease attrition rates, and which assessment measures should be used to improve documentation of the efficacy of interventions.