TY - JOUR
T1 - Provision of positive oral experiences for premature infants by offering milk drops
T2 - A clinical practice change initiative
AU - ORourke, Barbara
AU - Fuller, Kristy
AU - Parker, Leslie A.
AU - Moore, Tiffany A.
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors would like to thank Linda Brady RN, PhD, Lucinda Butler RN MSN, and Cheree Tilton RN, as well as the entire medical team of the NICU at Blank Children's Hospital in Des Moines, Iowa, for their invaluable support and encouragement of this project.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Neonatal Nurses Association
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - The objective of this clinical practice change was to provide positive oral experiences to premature infants by offering droplets of human milk or formula orally during gavage feedings, subsequently referred to as the Milk Drop Intervention. Method: This pre- and post-implementation quasi-experimental study included a total of 198 premature infants born at 24 to 33 + 6 weeks' gestation. Outcomes measured included average length of stay and adjusted cost differences. Parental perception and comments were also recorded. Results: Nine of ten intervention groups had a shorter average length of stay, with the intervention group overall having a significantly shorter average length of stay (p = 0.004). Adjusted cost savings for the intervention group was over $663,000. The intervention also provided an opportunity for parents to observe their infant's response to the milk drops, which formed a foundation to understanding cue-based feeding. Conclusion: Offering milk drops during gavage feedings is a simple, low-cost, intervention that may provide positive oral experiences for the smallest and most fragile of premature infants.
AB - The objective of this clinical practice change was to provide positive oral experiences to premature infants by offering droplets of human milk or formula orally during gavage feedings, subsequently referred to as the Milk Drop Intervention. Method: This pre- and post-implementation quasi-experimental study included a total of 198 premature infants born at 24 to 33 + 6 weeks' gestation. Outcomes measured included average length of stay and adjusted cost differences. Parental perception and comments were also recorded. Results: Nine of ten intervention groups had a shorter average length of stay, with the intervention group overall having a significantly shorter average length of stay (p = 0.004). Adjusted cost savings for the intervention group was over $663,000. The intervention also provided an opportunity for parents to observe their infant's response to the milk drops, which formed a foundation to understanding cue-based feeding. Conclusion: Offering milk drops during gavage feedings is a simple, low-cost, intervention that may provide positive oral experiences for the smallest and most fragile of premature infants.
KW - Breast milk
KW - Length of stay
KW - Negative oral experiences
KW - Neurodevelopment
KW - Non-nutritive sucking
KW - Oral feeding readiness
KW - Positive oral experiences
KW - Preterm infants
KW - Very low birth weight
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U2 - 10.1016/j.jnn.2022.11.014
DO - 10.1016/j.jnn.2022.11.014
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85143861754
SN - 1355-1841
JO - Journal of Neonatal Nursing
JF - Journal of Neonatal Nursing
ER -