Nopper 1996.

Study characteristics
Methods	Randomised controlled trial
Participants	Preterm infants (gestational age < 33 weeks), aged < 96 hours, without evidence of skin disease.
Interventions	1. Prophylactic application of preservative‐free ointment (Aquaphor, Beiersdorf, Inc.) applied twice daily: N = 30 2. Standard skin care (which could include a water‐in‐oil emollient if required (Eucerin, Beiersdorf, Inc.): N = 30 Intervention applied for 14 days.
Outcomes	Invasive infection. Mortality. Weight change. Time to regain birth weight.
Notes	Setting: Departments of Dermatology and Pediatrics, Stanford University, California, early‐mid 1990s (single centre). Clarification of methods and outcomes courtesy of Professor Alfred Lane (May 2014).
Risk of bias
Bias	Authors' judgement	Support for judgement
Random sequence generation (selection bias)	Unclear risk	Not described
Allocation concealment (selection bias)	Low risk	Sealed envelopes
Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias) All outcomes	High risk	Unmasked parents and caregivers
Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) All outcomes	High risk	Unmasked clinicians and investigators
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) All outcomes	Low risk	Complete follow‐up
Selective reporting (reporting bias)	Low risk	Unlikely
Other bias	Low risk	No evidence of baseline imbalance