Nursing Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practice Regarding Cue-Based Feeding with Premature Infants

Thursday, 15 July 2010

Harriet D. Miller, PhD, ARNP1
Jennifer Francis, RN2
Pauline Casey, OTR/L2
Ann Dia-Albertini, MD2
Patrice L. Hatcher, RNC, BSN, MBA2
Jane Klaus, LPN2
Sue Watson, BSN, RN, IBCL/CRLC2
1Advanced Practice Nursing & Research, Orlando Health, Orlando, FL
2Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies, Orlando Health, Orlando, FL

Learning Objective 1: The learner will be able to identify the elements of cue-based feeding practices with premature infants.

Learning Objective 2: The learner will be able to objectively document cue-based feeding practices with premature infants.

Current feeding practices are inconsistent with identifying when premature infants are ready to nipple feed.  In addition, verbal communication and documentation of how the premature infant nipple fed is rather subjective.  Developing an assessment tool to determine the readiness for nipple feeding that is standardized may improve practices for nutrition in the premature newborn population.  The investigators have developed a program of documentation based upon cue-based feeding. 
Purpose: To determine the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of registered nurses in regard to cue-based feeding practices with premature infants and nipple feeds.
Design:  A prospective, quasi-experimental design. 
Methods: A cue-based feeding survey will be conducted with a sub-set of forty nurses who work in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in central Florida.  The survey will be administered twice.  Once at baseline, before the educational training session entitled “Cue-based Feeding with Premature Infants” is released, and secondly in three months after the program’s initiation.  The nurses will then begin using the Cue-based Feeding Tool designed to assess and report readiness of the premature infant to nipple feed.    The Cue-based Feeding Tool is a collection tool which allows seven highlighted areas to be historically and objectively graphed with each feed.  At the end of the three month period, the nurses will complete an evaluation form to obtain feedback of the tool. 
Results: No findings are available at present.
Conclusion: The survey results will be used to provide further educational direction regarding premature infant readiness to nipple feed and use of the Cue-based Feeding Tool.