A Unique Clinical Tool for the Evaluation of Oral Feeding Skills in Infants

Abstract

Background. Occupational therapy practice for oral feeding assessment is based on clinical observation of infants’ sucking, swallowing, and breathing ability, which is influenced by clinical experience and provides poor evidence on explanatory factors. Purpose. To test the clinical utility and safety of a nipple monitoring device for the quantitative evaluation of oral feeding skills. Method Sixteen infants, with no severe medical complications, participated in a pre-experimental pilot study. Oral feeding performances (duration, intake volume, and rate of transfer), and occurrence of adverse events (apnea, bradycardia, and oxygen desaturations) were recorded to ensure the tool does not interfere with infant's feeding ability or does not create any adverse effects. Findings. There was no significant difference in duration, intake volume, rate of transfer between the two monitored sessions, and no occurrence in adverse events. Implications. The findings suggest that the nipple monitoring device may be used for quantitative assessment and intervention planning of oral feeding difficulties in infants.

Comprehensive Review of Assessment Tools for Nutrition and Feeding Practices in Early Childhood: Applications, Strengths, and Limitations

“…Table 2 elucidates the common limitations inherent in many infant and child feeding assessment tools. Recognizing these limitations is vital for researchers and clinicians when interpreting their findings: • Small Sample Sizes: Numerous assessments were conducted with limited participant numbers, raising concerns about generalizability (5,40,41). • Lack of Validation: Several tools were not validated against gold standards, questioning their reliability and accuracy (6,10,42).…”

Experiences of Indonesian nurses in improving preterm oral feeding readiness in special care units: A qualitative descriptive study

“…During this period, the transition from enteral to oral feeding takes place to meet the nutritional requirements of preterm infants (Gentle et al, 2022 ; Ostadi et al, 2021 ). The success of achieving oral feeding readiness is influenced by two sets of factors: internal factors, including neurological, gastrointestinal, cardio-respiratory, and musculoskeletal development, and external factors, including the therapeutic care environment, caregiver competence, and the infant’s stress level (Camur & Cetinkaya, 2021 ; Fucile & Dow, 2023 ).…”