scholarly journals A Novel Approach to Assess Oral Feeding Skills of Preterm Infants

Neonatology ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 100 (1) ◽  
pp. 64-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Lau ◽  
E.O. Smith
2011 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
pp. 324-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela Dodrill

Preterm infants often display difficulty establishing oral feeding in the weeks following birth. This article aims to provide an overview of the literature investigating the development of feeding skills in preterm infants, as well as of interventions aimed at assisting preterm infants to develop their feeding skills. Available research suggests that preterm infants born at a lower gestational age and/or with a greater degree of morbidity are most at risk of early feeding difficulties. Respiratory disease was identified as a particular risk factor. Mechanisms for feeding difficulty identified in the literature include immature or dysfunctional sucking skills and poor suck–swallow–breath coordination. Available evidence provides some support for therapy interventions aimed at improving feeding skills, as well as the use of restricted milk flow to assist with maintaining appropriate ventilation during feeds. Further research is needed to confirm these findings, as well as to answer remaining clinical questions.


Author(s):  
Courtney Broadfoot ◽  
Julie Estis

Advancements in medical technology have contributed to increased rates of preterm birth. Prematurity places infants at high risk for feeding difficulties, however. Early identification and assessment of preterm infant dysphagia is critical to maximize nutrition and hydration, feeding safety, and growth and development. The purpose of this study was to assess the ability of a simulation-based training toolto increase non-health care and entry-level clinical student sensitivity to signs of feeding distress in preterm infants. Data were collected from 60 students (20 masters-level Speech-Language Pathology, 20 undergraduate nursing, 20 undergraduate non-health care) in a pre-test/post-test design. All participants completed a brief simulation training protocol, and accuracy percentages were calculated based on their ability to determine the following: physiological and behavioral signs of feeding distress, oral feeding skill level (OFS), and clinical recommendation for further feeding evaluation. Our results revealed that this simulation-based training improved the identification of behavioral (p < 0.001) and physiological (p < 0.001) signs of feeding distress, OFS level (p < 0.001), and ability to make appropriate clinical recommendations (p < 0.001).This study has identified a successful method to effectively train entry-level clinical and non-clinical students to screen feeding skills in preterm infants. This training approach has the potential to improve identification of feeding distress and to recognize the need for a dysphagia evaluation to optimize clinical outcomes in this fragile population.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Bertoncelli ◽  
G. Cuomo ◽  
S. Cattani ◽  
C. Mazzi ◽  
M. Pugliese ◽  
...  

Background.With increasing sophistication and technology, survival rates hugely improved among preterm infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit. Nutrition and feeding remain a challenge and preterm infants are at high risk of encountering oral feeding difficulties.Objective.To determine what facts may impact on oral feeding readiness and competence and which kind of interventions should enhance oral feeding performance in preterm infants.Search Strategy.MEDILINE database was explored and articles relevant to this topic were collected starting from 2009 up to 2011.Main Results.Increasingly robust alertness prior to and during feeding does positively impact the infant’s feeding Skills. The review found that oral and non-oral sensorimotor interventions, provided singly or in combination, shortened the transition time to independent oral feeding in preterm infants and that preterm infants who received a combined oral and sensorimotor intervention demonstrated more advanced nutritive sucking, suck-swallow and swallow-respiration coordination than those who received an oral or sensorimotor intervention singly.


2007 ◽  
Vol 97 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
N Amaizu ◽  
RJ Shulman ◽  
RJ Schanler ◽  
C Lau

2021 ◽  
Vol In Press (In Press) ◽  
Author(s):  
Farideh Kamran ◽  
Setareh Sagheb ◽  
Seyyed Ahmadreza Khatoonabadi ◽  
Abbas Ebadi ◽  
Yaser Faryadras ◽  
...  

Background: One of the fundamental factors in infants’ readiness to discharge from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is attaining full oral feeding. Determining the infants’ development requires instruments to comprehensively assess the infants’ oral skills and the process of feeding. Objectives: This study aimed to measure the validity and reliability of Early Feeding Skill assessment (EFS) and the subscales of the cue-based feeding (Oral Feeding Readiness scale (OFRS) and Oral Feeding Quality scale (OFQS)). Methods: Participants consisted of 30 preterm infants born at gestational age (GA) ≤ 34 weeks in Dr. Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Infants were enrolled by convenience sampling. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and Weighted Kappa were used to measure reliability, and Spearman and Pearson’s correlation coefficient were used to test convergent and discriminant validity. Results: The inter- and intra-rater reliability of all dimensions of EFS were good (ICC ranged from 0.77 to 0.95) except intra-rater reliabiltiy for the ability to maintain physiologic stability and ability to coordinate swallowing was moderate. The inter-rater reliability of the cue-based feeding scales was excellent (Weighted Kappa of > 0.74). The intra-rater reliablity indicated good agreement for OFRS (Weighted Kappa = 0.73) and excellent agreement for OFQS (Weighted Kappa = 0.75). There was an inverse correlation between most subscales of EFS and cue-based feeding scales (P < 0.05), except the ability to maintain physiologic stability and ability to coordinate swallowing dimensions (P > 0.05). There was a significant correlation between the ability to maintain physiologic stability dimension and post menstrual age (PMA) (r = 38, (P < 0.05) and between the oral feeding recovery assessment and GA (r = 0.37, (P < 0.05). OFQS was inversely correlated with GA and PMA (P < 0.05). Conclusions: EFS and cue-based feeding scales are valid and reliable scales to assess the oral feeding skills of preterm infants; however, using only one of these scales solely to evaluate infants’ feeding process is not enough.


2020 ◽  
Vol Publish Ahead of Print ◽  
Author(s):  
Thao Griffith ◽  
Rosemary White-Traut ◽  
Linda Witek Janusek

Children ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 1158
Author(s):  
Ranjith Kamity ◽  
Prasanna K. Kapavarapu ◽  
Amit Chandel

Preterm infants are known to have long-term healthcare needs. With advances in neonatal medical care, younger and more preterm infants are surviving, placing a subset of the general population at risk of long-term healthcare needs. Oral feeding problems in this population often play a substantial yet under-appreciated role. Oral feeding competency in preterm infants is deemed an essential requirement for hospital discharge. Despite achieving discharge readiness, feeding problems persist into childhood and can have a residual impact into adulthood. The early diagnosis and management of feeding problems are essential requisites to mitigate any potential long-term challenges in preterm-born adults. This review provides an overview of the physiology of swallowing and oral feeding skills, disruptions to oral feeding in preterm infants, the outcomes of preterm infants with feeding problems, and an algorithmic approach to the evaluation and management of neonatal feeding problems.


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