Protocol for Infant Massage in Home Settings: An e-Delphi Approach for Consensus Guidance Integrating Traditional Wisdom with Modern Medicine

Abstract

Abstract Infant massage is a highly prevalent traditional practice in India and other parts of Asia. Clear guidance on safe and effective uses of infant massage is lacking especially in the contemporary times when the traditional knowledge is on the verge of extinction and preparations may differ from in the past. This paper presents a consensus guidance in the form of a standardized protocol for routine massage of infants in home settings. Furthermore, a feasible method to develop an integrative protocol involving traditional and modern medicine experts is described. A modified e-Delphi method was used to develop the protocol. A group of seventeen experts, including academicians and practitioners from disciplines as modern paediatrics, Ayurveda paediatrics, Physiotherapy and Naturopathy participated in three rounds of a Delphi study to evolve the consensus guidance. The present protocol for massage of infants born beyond 34 weeks of gestation and weighing above 1.8 kg is recommended for use by care givers. This provides guidance on the preparation for infant massage such as when to begin massaging the infant, checking fitness of the infant for massage, the appropriate time, environment, person and substance for infant massage and a detailed description of the procedure for infant massage. Paediatricians, obstetricians and other child care practitioners can use this protocol to guide care givers on how to peform infant massage.