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The early feeding skills assessment for preterm infants
Suzanne M Thoyre1, Catherine S Shaker, Karen F Pridham
1School of Nursing, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA. thoyre@email.unc.edu
Insights
The Early Feeding Skills (EFS) Assessment helps determine preterm infants' readiness for oral feeding. This tool supports caregivers in tracking infant feeding skill development for better nutritional outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care
- Pediatric nutrition
- Developmental pediatrics
Background:
- Preterm infants require specific developmental milestones for successful oral feeding.
- Transitioning to oral feeding can be lengthy and requires individualized support.
- Caregiver communication is crucial for monitoring infant feeding skill progression.
Purpose of the Study:
- Introduce the Early Feeding Skills (EFS) Assessment.
- Provide a tool for evaluating infant feeding readiness and tolerance.
- Profile developmental stages of specific infant feeding skills.
Main Methods:
- The Early Feeding Skills (EFS) Assessment is a checklist.
- It evaluates infant engagement, oral-motor function, swallowing-breathing coordination, and physiological stability.
- The assessment aids in tracking skill acquisition and development.
Main Results:
- The EFS Assessment offers a structured approach to feeding evaluation.
- It identifies specific feeding skills gained, emerging, or undeveloped in preterm infants.
- Facilitates tailored, developmentally supportive feeding interventions.
Conclusions:
- The EFS Assessment is a valuable tool for clinicians and parents.
- It enhances communication regarding infant feeding capabilities.
- Supports optimized nutritional intake and physiological stability in preterm infants.
Abstract:
Preterm infants develop the skills necessary to begin oral feeding as their health stabilizes and as they reach a postconceptional age that supports coordination of breathing and swallowing with oral-motor functioning. The time from initiation of oral feeding to full oral feedings (with adequate intake for growth and maintenance of physiologic stability) can vary from days to months for the preterm infant. The approach to feeding the infant during this transition period must be developmentally supportive and tailored to meet the needs of the individual. To accomplish this, caregivers--notably nurses and parents--need to communicate about the specific skills that the infant has gained, about skills that are emerging, and about skills that the infant has not yet developed. The Early Feeding Skills (EFS) Assessment is a checklist for assessing infant readiness for and tolerance of feeding and for profiling the infant's developmental stage regarding specific feeding skills: the abilities to remain engaged in feeding, organize oral-motor functioning, coordinate swallowing with breathing, and maintain physiologic stability. This article introduces the EFS.
