Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 18, 2026
Assessment of the Efficacy of An Osteopathic Treatment in Infants with Biomechanical Impairments to Suckling
Published on: February 5, 2019
Hospital, infants and feeding: The importance of audit
Lesley Alison Williams1, Robert S Ware2,3, Peter S W Davies1
1Children's Nutrition Research Centre, Queensland Children's Medical Research Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Insights
Infant feeding history documentation is often missing in hospital records. Comprehensive feeding details are crucial for understanding infant health outcomes and hospital admissions.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Medicine
- Clinical Documentation
- Infant Health
Background:
- Infant feeding practices significantly influence health outcomes.
- Hospital admissions for infants can be linked to feeding issues.
- Accurate documentation of infant feeding is essential for clinical care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the completeness of infant feeding history documentation in pediatric hospital charts.
- To identify the extent to which feeding mode, type, and frequency are recorded.
- To determine if infant age affects feeding documentation.
Main Methods:
- A systematic random sample of 465 infant hospital charts was audited.
- The audit focused on the period between July 1, 2011, and June 30, 2012.
- Documentation of feeding mode, type, frequency, and changes was assessed.
Main Results:
- Feeding mode was documented in 57% of charts, feeding type in 49%, and feeding frequency in 26%.
- Documentation of feeding changes since birth was recorded in only 19% of cases.
- Older infants showed significantly less frequent recording of feeding details.
Conclusions:
- Many infant hospital presentations lack comprehensive feeding history documentation.
- Incomplete feeding records hinder the analysis of feeding's role in infant health issues.
- Standardized recording of infant feeding is recommended to improve clinical insights.
Aim:
Infant feeding can be the reason for presentation and/or admission to hospital. The aim of this study was to identify if infant feeding history was documented in charts of infants presenting and/or admitted to a paediatric hospital.
Methods:
A systematic random sample of hospital charts of infants who had presented to the emergency department between 1 July 2011 and 30 June 2012 was audited for presence of documentation of feeding.
Results:
In total, 465 charts were audited, representing 12.5% of infants who presented to the emergency department in the year. Frequency of documentation for feeding measures was as follows: feeding mode, 263 (57%); feeding type, 228 (49%); feeding frequency, 119 (26%); and with changes 89 (19%) since birth. Increasing infant age was significantly associated with less frequent recording of feeding mode, type, frequency and changes.
Conclusion:
A comprehensive feeding history is not recorded on many occasions of infant presentation and/or admission to hospital. The recording of feeding mode, type, frequency and changes is needed in order to explore the existence, or otherwise, of a relationship between feeding and the reason for presentation and/or admission.
More Related Videos
05:04A Common Marmoset Model of Mother-Infant Intervention for Breastfeeding Disorders in the Presence of Paternal Inhibition and Maternal Neglect
Published on: September 22, 2023
19:15Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
Related Concept Videos
01:19Respiratory Assessment: Purpose and Indications
Objectives and Importance:
The primary goal of respiratory assessment is to evaluate patients at early risk of clinical deterioration. Since respiratory distress often precedes other signs of declining health, breathing patterns and sounds become a...
01:29SBAR I: Understanding the Concept
Standardized methods of communication have been developed to ensure that information is...
01:11Purpose of Health Records I
Here's a breakdown of how health records serve these purposes:
01:22Healthcare Associated Infections II: Preventive Measures
The best practices for preventing healthcare-associated infections include hand hygiene, patient risk...
01:30Accountability and Responsibility of a Nurse I
01:23Nurses' Legal Responsibilities II
Communication between nurses and...