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Effect of the Premature Infant Oral Motor Intervention on Sucking Capacity in Preterm Infants in Turkey: A Randomized
Selver Guler1, Zerrin Cigdem, Brenda S Lessen Knoll
1Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Sanko University, Gaziantep, Turkey (Dr Selver Guler); Departments of Nursing (Dr Cigdem) and Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation (Dr Yakut), Faculty of Health Sciences, Hasan Kalyoncu University, Gaziantep, Turkey; Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Gedik University, Istanbul, Turkey (Dr Ortabag); and School of Nursing, Illinois Wesleyan University, Bloomington (Dr Knoll).
Insights
The Premature Infant Oral Motor Intervention (PIOMI) significantly improved sucking ability and weight gain in preterm infants. This intervention also accelerated oral feeding readiness and reduced hospital stays.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care
- Pediatric physical therapy
- Infant nutrition
Background:
- Preterm infants frequently experience oral feeding difficulties, impacting their readiness for discharge.
- There is a critical need for evidence-based interventions to enhance oral-motor development in this population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of the Premature Infant Oral Motor Intervention (PIOMI) in improving oral-motor function.
- To assess the impact of PIOMI on feeding, anthropometric outcomes, and hospital stay duration using sucking manometry.
Main Methods:
- A single-blind randomized experimental study involved 60 preterm infants in neonatal intensive care units.
- The intervention group received PIOMI daily for 14 days, while the control group did not.
- Sucking capacity, anthropometrics, feeding initiation, and length of stay were measured using the novel Yakut Sucking Manometer.
Main Results:
- The PIOMI group showed significant increases in sucking power (69%), continuous sucking (16%), sucking time (13%), and intake amount (12%).
- Statistically significant improvements were observed in weight gain (89%) and head circumference (81%) in the PIOMI group.
- The intervention group initiated oral feeding 9.9 days earlier and breast/chest feeding 10.8 days earlier, with a 3-day shorter hospital stay.
Conclusions:
- The PIOMI intervention demonstrated a significant positive effect on preterm infants' anthropometrics and sucking capabilities.
- PIOMI facilitated earlier readiness for both bottle and breast/chest feeding.
- The intervention led to a notable reduction in the length of hospital stay for preterm infants.
Background:
Preterm infants have oral feeding difficulty that often delays discharge, indicating a need for evidence-based interventions for oral-motor development.
Purpose:
To test the Premature Infant Oral Motor Intervention (PIOMI) on the development of oral-motor function, feeding, and anthropometric outcomes using sucking manometry.
Methods:
A single-blind randomized experimental design was conducted with a sample of 60 preterm infants from 2 neonatal intensive care units between May 2019 and March 2020. The experimental group received PIOMI for 5 min/d for 14 consecutive days. Sucking capacity, anthropometrics (weight and head circumference), bottle feeding, breast/chest feeding initiation, and length of hospital stay were measured. The Yakut Sucking Manometer (PCT/TR2019/050678) was developed specifically for this study and tested for the first time.
Results:
The experimental group had a statistically significant percent increase over controls in sucking power (69%), continuous sucking before releasing the bottle (16%), sucking time (13%), and sucking amount (12%) with partial η 2 values of interaction between the groups of 0.692, 0.164, 0.136, and 0.121, respectively. The experimental group had a higher increase in weight (89%) and head circumference (81%) over controls ( F = 485.130, P < .001; F = 254.754, P < .001, respectively). The experimental group transitioned to oral feeding 9.9 days earlier than controls ( t = -2.822; P = .007), started breast/chest feeding 10.8 days earlier ( t = 3.016; P = .004), and were discharged 3.0 days earlier.
Implications For Research/Practice:
The PIOMI had a significant positive effect on anthropometrics, sucking capacity, readiness to initiate bottle and breast/chest feeding, and a 3-day reduction in length of hospital stay.
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