Assessment of Oral Feeding Readiness Among Preterm Infants

Abstract

Background: Being born preterm presents numerous challenges for the preterm infant including neurodevelopmental immaturity, physiologic instability, and behavioral state disorganization. In this context, there are often challenges with the initiation and achievement of full oral feedings. Recognition and support of oral feeding readiness may accelerate feeding progression period and decrease length of hospital stay (LOS), thereby reducing healthcare costs. Supporting effective cue-based oral feeding through use of rigorous assessment or evidence-based care guidelines can optimize the hospital experience for infants and caregivers. Aims: This study aimed to assess premature infant's readiness level at the beginning of oral feeding. Identify factors that contributed to readiness in premature infants. Methods: A descriptive cross sectional design used in this study. Subjects: A convenience sample of 75 stable premature infants recruited from five neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in Assuit city, Egypt. Infants' gestational age ranged from 30 to ≤ 32 weeks post menstrual age (PMA). Tools: Infant's readiness assessed directly after oral feeding was introduced by using Neonatal Oral Motor Assessment scale (NOMAS). Results: Majority of the premature infants showed feeding readiness behavior (74.7%) when they received their first oral feeding. No relationship between infants' gestational age at birth or weight and readiness behavior was observed. Conclusion: Most of infants had high level of readiness when oral feeding was initiated, correlation between infant's characteristics and readiness level were not significant. Recommendations: Encourage clinician to use standard measure as NOMAS to early assess readiness behavior of premature infants. And address NOMAS as a routine process in NICUs.

Effect of Olfactory and Gustatory Stimulations on Preterm Neonates’ Feeding Progression and Sniffing Away Feeding Tube

“…Oral feeding is a complex task for preterm neonates where it requires precise coordination between sucking, swallowing and breathing that does not develop before 32-34 weeks of gestation (Khodagholi et al, 2018;Osman et al, 2017). Safe and competent oral feeding requires proper integration of physical and neurophysiologic functions that may not be mature at the time of oral feeding introduction (Lau, 2015).…”