RESUMO
AIMS: The aim of the study was to assess the level of feeding performance among and determine the effectiveness of oral motor intervention on feeding performance among preterm babies. METHODS: One group pre-test and post-test pre-experimental design was used and 30 samples were selected using non-probability convenient sampling technique. The modified early feeding assessment scale was used to evaluate the feeding performance. Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: The pretest mean was 22.6 and the post-test mean was 38.8. the mean difference was 16.2. The standard deviation of the pretest was 3.8 and the post -test was 2.8. The calculated paired 't' value 19.12 was highly significant than the table value (2.6) at 0.05 level. CONCLUSION: It was inferred that oral motor intervention was effective in improving feeding performance among preterm babies.
RESUMO
Objective To evaluate the effects of oral motor interventions on feeding performance of preterm infants with feeding and swallowing disorders. Methods According to the bed number, the premature infants were divided into two groups in equal number: the control group received non-nutritive sucking for 30 minutes before feeding , while the experiment group infants received oral motor interventions. The proficiency and volume transfer were observed and recorded. Result The proficiency and volume transfered in the experiment group were significantly better than those of the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion The oral motor interventions can effectively improve the feeding performance in preterm infants with feeding and swallowing disorders.
RESUMO
The objective of the present study was to determine the oral motor capacity and the feeding performance of preterm newborn infants when they were permitted to start oral feeding. This was an observational and prospective study conducted on 43 preterm newborns admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of UFSM, RS, Brazil. Exclusion criteria were the presence of head and neck malformations, genetic disease, neonatal asphyxia, intracranial hemorrhage, and kernicterus. When the infants were permitted to start oral feeding, non-nutritive sucking was evaluated by a speech therapist regarding force (strong vs weak), rhythm (rapid vs slow), presence of adaptive oral reflexes (searching, sucking and swallowing) and coordination between sucking, swallowing and respiration. Feeding performance was evaluated on the basis of competence (defined by rate of milk intake, mL/min) and overall transfer (percent ingested volume/total volume ordered). The speech therapist's evaluation showed that 33 percent of the newborns presented weak sucking, 23 percent slow rhythm, 30 percent absence of at least one adaptive oral reflex, and 14 percent with no coordination between sucking, swallowing and respiration. Mean feeding competence was greater in infants with strong sucking fast rhythm. The presence of sucking-swallowing-respiration coordination decreased the days for an overall transfer of 100 percent. Evaluation by a speech therapist proved to be a useful tool for the safe indication of the beginning of oral feeding for premature infants.