In the process of preparing a new revision of the manual, Standards and Recommendations for Hospital Care of Newborn Infants, the Committee on Fetus and Newborn established a new set of standards concerning preparation and handling of formula supply in the hospital.
Because of the current interest in formula supply, brought about by recent technological changes, the Committee decided to issue the standards as a separate statement. It will later appear as a section in the revised edition of Standards and Recommendations of Hospital Care of Newborn Infants.
Responsibility for the policies regarding feeding of infants in nurseries must be assigned to designated members of the medical staff. They make all decisions about prescription, acceptability, preparation, and distribution of formula. They also set up control and review procedures.
Three principal methods for providing formula to nursery infants are currently available in the United States. Their relative efficacies cannot be evaluated at this time, but all should meet basic standardized requirements.
The three methods are: (1) preparation of the formula entirely in the hospital formula room; (2) final preparation of formula in the hospital from components, pre-sterilized, packaged, and delivered by an ourside source; (3) use of individually packaged pre-steriuized formula delivered by an outside source.
In providing formula for infants, attention must be given to the following:
Facilities
Personnel and their responsibilities
Formula preparation
Safety standards and quality control
A. Facilities
Facilities necessary for the preparation of formula depend on the method used in providing the formula.
1. Formula Room
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