The effect of an early oral stimulation program on oral feeding of preterm infants

摘要

Purpose:To evaluate the effect of an oral stimulation program on preterm infants.Methods:Preterm infants(n=72)were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups.Controls(n=36)received routine care while the experimental group(n=36)received oral stimulation in addition to routine care.Postmenstrual age,total intake volume,body weight,the transition time from initiation of oral feeding to full oral feeding and feeding efficiency were calculated.Results:Postmenstrual age and full oral feeding weight were significantly lower in the experimental group(p<0.05).The time from initiation of oral feeding to full oral feeding was significantly shorter in the experimental group(p<0.05)while feeding efficiency was higher in the experimental group(p<0.05)compared to controls.No significant differences existed in hospital stay length or weight gain rate.Conclusions:An early oral stimulation program is beneficial in preterm infants.