ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To describe the bottle-feeding histories of preterm infants and determine physical indices related to and predictive of bottle-feeding initiation and progression. DESIGN: Ex post facto. SETTING: Academic medical center. PARTICIPANTS: A convenience sample of 40 preterm infants without concomitant cardiac, gastrointestinal, or cognitive impairment. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Postconceptional age at first bottle-feeding, full bottle-feeding, and discharge. RESULTS: The morbidity rating, using the Neonatal Medical Index (NMI), was most strongly correlated with postconceptional age at first bottle-feeding (r = .34, p < .05), full bottle-feeding (r = .65, p < .01), and discharge (r = .55, p < .05). The morbidity rating also accounted for 12%, 42%, and 30% of the variance in postconceptional age at first bottle-feeding, full bottle-feeding, and discharge, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The NMI may be a useful tool for predicting the initiation and progression of bottle-feeding in preterm infants.
Subject(s)
Bottle Feeding , Feeding Behavior , Infant, Premature , Morbidity , Age Factors , Analysis of Variance , Birth Weight , Bottle Feeding/adverse effects , Bottle Feeding/statistics & numerical data , Female , Gestational Age , Humans , Infant, Newborn , Male , Patient Discharge , Predictive Value of Tests , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
A review of the nursing literature from 1989 to 1994 indicates that few psychiatric nursing studies are published in the major nursing research journals. The psychiatric specialization literature includes a large number of studies that are classified as either outcome studies or could serve as building blocks for future outcome studies. Few studies build on prior research, resulting in a weak scientific basis for evaluating the outcomes of psychiatric nursing care. Strategies for increasing the quantity and quality of psychiatric nursing outcome research are presented.
