Effect of Oral motor stimulation on early transition from tube to oral feeding in preterm infants

Abstract

Background: The development of efficient and safe feeding techniques is one of the most difficult developmental milestones for preterm newborns. Initiation of oral feeding usually takes several days to weeks. Oral motor stimulation enhances feeding skills and leads to early initiation of exclusive oral feed. Objective: To determine the effect of oral stimulation on preterm infants early initiation to oral feeding. Material &Method: Quasi quasi-experimental two-group study was conducted in Children’s Hospital Lahore from July to November 2023. Intervention and control group data from 86 preterm infants through purposive sampling was collected through the Early feeding skills assessment tool. The study group received oral stimulation until they achieved the required scores for initiation of oral feed. Results: The preterm mean transition time to oral in the study group who received the intervention was 33±0.43 weeks compared to control group 35±0.7 weeks with (p < 0.001) statistically significant difference. Conclusion: The preterm infants who received oral stimulation showed early transition to oral feeding, so we conclude that oral motor stimulation was effective for early switching of preterm infants from tube to oral feeding.