Without appropriate nutritional support, preterm infants fail to grow after birth and have malnutrition. The main reason for delayed feeding is fear of immaturity of gastrointestinal function. The principles of nutritional practice should be as follows: (1) minimal early initiation of enteral feeding with breast milk (0.5-1 mL/h) to start on Day 1 if possible and gradual increase as tolerated; (2) early aggressive parenteral nutrition as soon as possible; (3) provision of lipids at rates that will meet the additional energy needs of about 2-3 g/kg/d; and (4) attempt to increase enteral feeding rather than parenteral nutrition.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of an asthma continuing education program on pharmacists’ knowledge and attitudes related to asthma pharmaceutical care. Subjects and Methods: A 20-hour continuing education program was conducted by the joint efforts of the Taipei City Government, Taiwan Association of Asthma Education and Taipei Medical University Wan Fang Hospital, in a series of 4 days afternoon sessions from June 26 to July 4, 2004. One hundred and twenty-five pharmacists participated. The Asthma Knowledge Test in Mandarin and the Asthma Attitude Scale in Mandarin were developed by adapting the scale used to evaluate the impact of pharmacist continuing education programs on diabetic care. The results before and after the intervention were compared to evaluate the impact of the program. Results: Of the 125 participants, 105 returned both the pre- and post-intervention questionnaires, for a response rate of 84.0%. The total score of the attitude section increased significantly from 40.04 ± 3.35 to 42.54 ± 2.98 (full score = 50, p < 0.001). The total score of the knowledge section also increased significantly from 7.18 ± 1.31 to 7.56 ± 1.15 (p = 0.008). Improvement in the attitude score was found in 70 (67.0%) subjects, and in the knowledge score in 45 (43.5%) subjects. Conclusion: The study demonstrated that attitude and knowledge toward asthma care improved after the continuing education program. Further study of long-term impact and direct changes in asthma pharmaceutical care practice will be necessary.

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