Implementation of Infant Driven Feeding as a Standard of Practice in the N/IICU

Chrupcala, Kimberly A.

Saturday, 16 November 2013

Taryn M. Edwards, MSN, CRNP, NNP-BC¹
Leeann Taylor, MSN, RN²
Kimberly A. Chrupcala, BSN, RN¹
(1)Newborn/Infant Intensive Care Unit, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
(2)Fraser Health Authority, Surrey, BC, Canada

Learning Objective 1: The learner will be able to identify the impact of infant driven feeding on the length of stay of patients in the N/IICU at CHOP.

Learning Objective 2: The learner will be able to identify the methods used to support the integration of infant driven feeding in the patient care setting.

Current literature supports infant driven feeding as a means to decrease length of stay and enhance oral feeding skills. In the Newborn/Infant Intensive Care Unit (N/IICU) at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, infants were routinely fed according to strict feeding schedules with little consideration of cues. This project focused on the implementation of infant driven feeding as a standard of practice in the N/IICU with the goals of increasing the number of patients who are fed according to cues prior to discharge and decreasing length of stay related to feeding.

A key component of the project was education. All nurses in the N/IICU were required to complete a mandatory education module detailing the components of infant driven feeding, including: the criteria for infant driven feeding, the identification of pre-feeding readiness cues and disengagement or stopping cues, caregiver modifications during feedings and documentation of this practice in the patient’s electronic health record. Several nurses were selected as Infant Driven Feeding Champions. These nurses were part of a multidisciplinary team and served as resources on the unit. Families were also educated about infant driven feeding and supported as they learned to safely and effectively feed their babies with a bottle and at the breast.

Control and experimental data was collected to determine the effectiveness of infant driven feeding on the total length of stay as well as the patient’s length of stay after the initiation of oral feedings. The institutional data collected coincided with the research findings, ultimately resulting in a decreased length of stay in the patient population served at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

See more of: 2012-2013 Maternal-Child Health Nurse Leadership Academy Invited Posters
See more of: Invited Posters