Evaluating Premature Oral Motor Intervention Combined with NIDCAP for Feeding in Preterm Infants Born at 29-30 Weeks

What this Trial Is About

Prematurity can affect the development of oral motor skills, making feeding difficult due to an uncoordinated sucking-breathing-swallowing cycle. This trial evaluates whether combining the Premature Oral Motor Intervention PIOMI with the Newborn Individualized Developmental Care and Assessment Program NIDCAP improves feeding outcomes, including earlier removal of external feeding devices, breastfeeding rates at hospital discharge, and swallowing safety. The study also examines the applicability of this standardized protocol in a neonatal intensive care unit setting. Participants are randomly assigned to two groups one receives the standard NIDCAP care model, and the experimental group receives PIOMI plus NIDCAP care. The PIOMI involves intraoral stimulation through seven activities conducted twice daily for five minutes over ten days. Both groups receive gustatory stimulation with oropharyngeal colostrum and olfactory stimulation using breast milk swabs near the nose twice daily. Families apply the assigned interventions with guidance provided via a quick response code. Throughout the study, researchers monitor feeding progress using tools like the Neonatal Oral-motor Assessment Scale and Early Feeding Skills Assessment. They track time to removal of external feeding devices, volume of intake at discharge, hospitalization length, breastfeeding status after discharge, and weight at discharge and ten days later. The trial runs from 2023 to 2026, with detailed assessments and data analysis to understand the benefits and feasibility of the intervention protocol in preterm infants aged 29 to 30 weeks gestational age.

Effects of the Application of PIOMI in the Oral Feeding of Premature