The effect of Cue-Based Feeding on Short-Term Health Outcomes in Premature Infants in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit s

Nutrition based on behavioral signs is a method relying on infant maturity. Achieving oral nutrition is necessary for discharge from neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of feeding based on behavioral cues on the short-term health outcomes of preterm infants. Methods: This interventional quantitative study was performed on 60 preterm infants selected by the simple non-random sampling method (n = 30 in the control group and n = 30 in the experimental group). These infants were admitted to NICU of a referral hospital in Tehran. A three-step intervention was performed, and the nurses caring for the studied infants were trained on behavioral feeding cues. In the first step, one and in the second step two oral feedings based on behavioral cues were given every 12 hours for three days, and in the third step, oral feeding was completely based on infant behavioral cues. Short-term health outcome variables in this study included weight gain, time to achieve complete oral feeding, hypoxia, and gavage frequency that were monitored daily and recorded by the ward nurse. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics in SPSS version 16. Results: The mean neonatal weight in the test and control groups were 1492.79 and 1395.71 g (P <0.05), respectively. The mean durations of achieving full oral feeding in the test and control groups was 17.63 and 20.73 days, respectively, which was clinically significant (P<0.05). The mean frequencies of hypoxia and gavage in the test group were 0.6 and 725.03, respectively, and in the control group, they were 5.03 and 4618.40, respectively (P <0.05). Conclusion: Findings showed that feeding based on neonatal behavioral cues had a positive effect on weight gain, time to achieve full oral feeding and hypoxia and gavage frequency. Therefore, to support and improve oral nutrition and some health outcomes in premature infants, NICU nurses are recommended to use nutritional methods based on neonatal behavioral cues.