Increasing feeding education for promotion of positive feeding experiences in the NICU
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Feeding in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is a common co-occupation addressed between infants and their caregivers. Many NICU infants have feeding difficulties, resulting in the need to address feeding through evidence-based therapy. Occupational therapists (OTs) are health professionals who commonly address feeding in the NICU through interventions including positioning, pre-feeding skills, adaptive equipment, and caregiver education. Emerging OT feeding interventions promote positive feeding experiences (PFE) including oral stimulation, breastfeeding, and Milk Drops Intervention. Despite the various evidence-based OT feeding interventions available to promote PFE with NICU infants, a gap is present, with lack of education provided to caregivers and NICU staff including nurses and therapists. OTs have extensive knowledge regarding feeding intervention and have a significant role in feeding education. Hence, it is essential for them to be competent in feeding to further support the promotion of feeding education for nurses and caregivers. Additionally, nurses are essential in facilitating feeding education and intervention implementation with caregivers, requiring adequate knowledge on feeding intervention and promoting PFE. Due to the lack of feeding education nurses receive in the NICU, this also negatively impacts caregivers receiving appropriate education to promote PFE in infants. To work towards closing the gap, the purpose of this project is to design and implement separate feeding and Milk Drops Intervention educational resources for NICU staff and caregivers to increase competence and confidence and further promote PFE for infants in the NICU.
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