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Comparing Parent- and Physiotherapist-Led Oral Stimulation to Improve Sucking in Preterm Babies in the NICU
Led by Hospital Civil de Guadalajara · Updated on 2026-02-19
32
Participants Needed
1
Research Sites
N/A
Total Duration
AI-Summary
What this Trial Is About
Researchers are studying the impact of an oral stimulation program aimed at improving sucking in preterm newborns hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit NICU. This randomized clinical trial compares two groups one receiving the intervention from trained parents and the other from a licensed physiotherapist. The main goal is to evaluate changes in oral feeding readiness using the POFRAS score. The study also looks at secondary outcomes like time to exclusive oral feeding, removal of nasogastric tubes, weight at discharge, hospital stay length, and parental adherence. The research addresses the role of parent involvement in neonatal care in public hospitals with limited staff. The oral stimulation program includes four extraoral and four intraoral exercises performed once daily for 14 consecutive days or until full oral feeding is reached. Each session lasts about 15 minutes and involves exercises such as perioral massage, stimulating the sucking reflex, and non-nutritive sucking using a pacifier. Parents in the experimental group receive structured training and supervision to carry out the protocol, while the control group receives the same intervention from a physiotherapist. Participants are randomly assigned to either group, and the outcome assessor is blinded to group assignments. During the study, participants undergo daily oral stimulation sessions while researchers monitor feeding readiness with the POFRAS scale from baseline to day 14. Additional assessments include tracking the time to exclusive oral feeding, weight gain at discharge, duration of hospital stay up to 60 days, and parental satisfaction at the end of the intervention. The study runs from July to October 2025 and aims to explore the feasibility and effects of parent-led oral rehabilitation in a clinical setting.
CONDITIONS
Brief Title
Effects of Oral Stimulation Performed by Parents to Improve Sucking in Neonates Hospitalized in the NICU
Research Team
N
Nelsi Alejandra Gonzalez Gonzalez, subspecialty
J
Jose Armando Labra Zepeda, Fellow
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