title: Early enteral feeding for the very low birth weight infant: the development and impact of a research-based guideline.
abstract: Providing optimal nutrition for the very low birth weight (VLBW) infant is critical during the neonatal period. Evidence-based practice guidelines are essential in managing these fragile infants. Putting scientific research into daily clinical practice may be arduous at times, however. A multidisciplinary team of health care providers successfully established a practical feeding guideline for a 52-bed, teaching-affiliated, Level III neonatal intensive care unit in St. Louis. This guideline identifies human milk as the recommended source of nutrition for the VLBW infant, a suggestion that has significantly affected lactation services in the unit. This article describes the process of developing, implementing, and evaluating a feeding guideline based on current research and describes the impact on lactation rates of having such a guideline in place within the unit.
authors.affiliation: St Louis Children's Hospital, MO 63110, USA. joanrs@bjc.org
authors.forename: Joan Renaud
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D004750:Enteral Nutrition / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods / Q000451:nursing / Q000592:standards*; D020345:Enterocolitis, Necrotizing / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007227:Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight / Q000254:growth & development*; D015931:Intensive Care, Neonatal / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D008895:Milk, Human; D017283:Neonatal Nursing / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D009751:Nutritional Requirements; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic / Q000592:standards*; D011367:Professional Staff Committees / Q000458:organization & administration; D013997:Time Factors