1 Associate Professor of Nursing.Vice Dean for Education Department of pediatric Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery.Community Nursing Research Center Zahedan University of Medical Sciences.

2 Instructor of Pediatric Nursing Department of Pediatric Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery Zahedan University of Medical Sciences

: most of Premature infant needs hospitalization in the NICU, an environment that is full of stressful stimuli that have a negative effect on the sleep status. The present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the effect of the QTP intervention on the sleep status of premature neonates admitted to the intensive care unit.

Methods : In this quasi-experimental study, 62 premature neonates admitted to the NICU were selected via convenient sampling method. First, the samples of the control group and then the samples of the intervention group were collected. A demographic information questionnaire and Als sleep and awake tool were employed. Neonates in the 2 groups were examined in 60 minutes of time during 3 phases before, during and after the intervention in the evening shift from 15-17 o’clock. Data were analyzed via SPSS software (version 22). A p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results : The chi-square test showed that the variable frequency of deep sleep (type A) before (P=1)and after (P=0.05) the intervention in the two groups did not have a statistically significant difference and just during the intervention has a statistically significant difference (P<0.001). Comparison of the distribution of the frequency of deep sleep (type B) before, during and after the intervention in 2 groups shows that before the intervention, deep sleep (type B) was not observed in the two groups. However, in the intervention group, 58.1% had deep sleep during the intervention and 6.5% after the intervention. The control group did not have deep sleep (type B) in these three time periods.

Conclusion : Considering the effectiveness of QTP in reducing environmental stimuli and improving sleep status, implementation of these items is recommended as a standard care to reduce stress, improve growth and development of preterm infants in the NICU.