Analysis of Colostrum Therapy Administration Protocols in Newborns: An Integrative Review

The present study aims to describe the clinical protocols used for administration of colostrum therapy in newborns. An integrative review was carried out in the following databases: Medline, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Web of Science, Embase, Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), Scopus, Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature (LILACS), and LIVIVO, using a combination of controlled terms in English, such as "Infant, Newborn," "Colostrum," and "Administration, Oral" associated with the entry terms and keywords. The selection of studies was carried out by reading titles and abstracts, through the Rayyan program to apply inclusion and exclusion criteria, and then reading them in full. Five thousand eight hundred eighty-four studies were found in the databases; 15 studies were included in this review based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The selected articles presented variations in terms of cutoff criteria regarding gestational age and weight classification, in addition to the diversification between the beginning and the end of the application of colostrum therapy. In contrast, there was a predominance of the site of administration, type of colostrum used, and time to offer maternal colostrum. The studies present differences in terms of clinical parameters for standardizing the procedure. Therefore, this study can contribute to the generalized implementation of colostrum therapy in neonatal units through creation of a standard operating procedure based on systematization of the analyzed studies.