Diseño y análisis métrico de una escala para valorar la alimentación oral de los recién nacidos prematuros alimentados por sonda nasogástrica

Identifier:  TDX:2698

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/TDX2698

Authors:  Alonso Fernández, Sergio

Abstract:
Introduction: The criteria of early discharge from the Neonatal Unit are usually based on physiological aspects and the skills of basic care such as maintenance of body temperature, oral feeding to ensure adequate growth, rise in body weight, good clinical status, sufficient maturity of the respiratory control system and the ability of the parents to recognize warning signs. The development of oral feeding is one of the most difficult requisites to achieve in the care of these patients. Instruments have been developed to evaluate oral feeding, but the large number of items included make their incorporation in clinical practice difficult. Many of these instruments have inconsistent metric properties and have not been validated in the Spanish language. Objective: The aim of this study was to construct and validate a scale to measure the oral feeding abilities of preterm neonates. Methods: We designed and developed a scale and thereafter analyzed its metric properties in terms of reliability and validity. Results: The scale was named the Oral FEeding Assessment in premaTure INfants (OFEATINg) and was constituted by 13 items and 3 dimensions. It showed good reliability in both internal consistence and interobserver concordance as well as good convergent and discriminatory validity. Conclusion. In contrast with other scales the OFEATINg scale is useful for application in preterm newborns who are breast or bottle-fed and includes evaluation of behavior and physiological development. It is both easy to learn and administer, and may therefore be used in clinical practice and investigation.