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Evidence summary of human milk fortifier in preterm infants
Xin Gu1, Xiaofen Shi2, Limin Zhang3
1Department of Obstetrics, Wuxi People's Hospital, Wuxi, China.
Insights
This study summarizes best practices for using human milk fortifier in preterm infants. Evidence covers usage, monitoring, and safety to improve clinical nursing quality for these vulnerable infants.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal Nutrition
- Evidence-Based Medicine
Background:
- Preterm infants require specialized nutritional support.
- Human milk fortifier (HMF) is crucial for optimizing growth and development in preterm neonates.
- Synthesizing current evidence on HMF is essential for clinical practice.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically search for and collect evidence on the use of human milk fortifier in preterm infants.
- To summarize the latest and best evidence to guide clinical practice.
- To provide a reference for healthcare professionals managing preterm infants.
Main Methods:
- Comprehensive literature search across multiple databases (e.g., PubMed, Cochrane, JBI).
- Inclusion of various evidence types: guidelines, systematic reviews, expert consensuses, and RCTs.
- Independent quality evaluation and evidence extraction by two researchers.
Main Results:
- Sixteen high-quality articles were selected, including guidelines, systematic reviews, expert consensuses, and RCTs.
- Evidence covered key aspects: indications, timing of use, administration methods, monitoring, cessation, and post-discharge care.
- Detailed information on health education and feeding strategies was also synthesized.
Conclusions:
- The study provides a summary of the best available evidence for human milk fortifier use in preterm infants.
- Clinical application requires assessment of infant condition and parental preferences for optimal outcomes.
- Implementing this evidence can enhance the effectiveness and safety of HMF, improving clinical nursing quality.
Background:
To search for and collect evidence on human milk fortifier in preterm infants, and to summarize the latest and best evidence, so as to provide reference for clinical work.
Methods:
We searched the databases of UpToDate, American Guide Network, Cochrane Library, Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI), PubMed, ResearchGate, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wan Fang, Chinese Biology Medicine disc (CBM), and Yi Maitong, and collected relevant guidelines, systematic reviews, evidence summaries, expert consensuses, and randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The retrieval time limit was from the database establishment to July 2021. The quality of the literature was independently evaluated by 2 researchers, who then extracted and summarized the evidence from qualifying articles.
Results:
A total of 16 articles were selected, including 3 guidelines, 3 systematic reviews, 5 expert consensuses, 3 RCTs, and 1 best practice guideline, including indications, time for usage, methods, monitoring and management, time of cessation, health education, and post-discharge feeding.
Conclusions:
This study summarized the best evidence for human milk fortifier in preterm infants. Medical staff should assess the specific clinical conditions and parental wishes when applying the best evidence to ensure the effectiveness and safety of human milk fortifier, thus improving the quality of clinical nursing.
