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Assessment for oral feeding in preterm infants

Geovana de Paula Bolzan1, Luana Cristina Berwig1, Leila Sauer Prade1

  • 1Universidade Federal de Santa Maria - UFSM - Santa Maria (RS), Brasil.

Codas
|July 8, 2016
PubMed

Insights

The Preterm Oral Feeding Readiness Scale (POFRAS) shows 71.29% accuracy for initiating oral feeding in preterm infants. However, concordance with oral feeding skill level was weak, suggesting complementary use.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal Medicine
  • Pediatric Nutrition
  • Clinical Assessment Tools

Background:

  • Oral feeding is critical for preterm infant development.
  • Assessing readiness for oral feeding is essential for safe and effective transitions.
  • Existing tools require validation for clinical utility.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the accuracy of the Preterm Oral Feeding Readiness Scale (POFRAS) for initiating oral feeding in preterm infants.
  • To determine the concordance between POFRAS and the Oral Feeding Skill Level evaluation.
  • To assess the clinical utility of POFRAS in guiding feeding practices.

Main Methods:

  • 82 preterm infants were assessed using POFRAS and Oral Feeding Skill Level.
  • Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curve analysis was used to determine POFRAS accuracy.
  • Kappa coefficient was calculated to assess inter-rater reliability and concordance.

Main Results:

  • POFRAS demonstrated a global accuracy of 71.29% in assessing feeding readiness.
  • A cut-off value of 29 on POFRAS optimized sensitivity and specificity.
  • A weak concordance (k=0.281) was found between POFRAS and Oral Feeding Skill Level.

Conclusions:

  • POFRAS accuracy for initiating oral feeding is comparable to translactation techniques.
  • The weak concordance highlights the need for a multi-faceted approach to feeding assessment.
  • Clinicians should use POFRAS and Oral Feeding Skill Level complementarily for optimal preterm infant feeding management.
Abstract

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