title: Clinical validation of the Preterm Oral Feeding Readiness Assessment Scale.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Health professionals have great difficulties to establish the adequate and safe time to start breast feeding in preterm infants. There is a need to develop a standardized tool to help health professionals to comprehensively evaluate preterm infant readiness to transition preterm infants' feeding from gastric to oral, and encourage breast feeding practice in neonatal units.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To clinical validate the accuracy of a Preterm Oral Feeding Readiness Assessment Scale with 60 clinically stable preterm infants.
  
  
  METHODS
  Global accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of Preterm Oral Feeding Readiness Assessment Scale cut-offs, compared to milk intake through translactation, were estimated through ROC curves (Receiver Operating Characteristic Curves).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The global accuracy of Preterm Oral Feeding Readiness Assessment Scale was 74.38%. The highest sensitivity and specificity were obtained for three cut-offs: 28, 29 and 30. Since higher specificity (75.68%) for the Preterm Oral Feeding Readiness Assessment Scale was found at a score cut-off=of 30 showed higher specificity (75.68%), it should be used as a cut-off score to select initiate breastfeeding the preterm newborns' oral feeding readiness.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Preterm Oral Feeding Readiness Assessment Scale is considered valid to assist health professionals to initiate preterm feeding in view of promoting safe and objective breastfeeding.
authors: Universidade Estadual do Centro-Oeste do Paraná, Brazil. cifujinaga@gmail.com
authors: Cristina Ide
authors: CI
authors: Fujinaga
authors: Suzana Alves
authors: SA
authors: de Moraes
authors: Nelma Ellen
authors: NE
authors: Zamberlan-Amorim
authors: Thaíla Corrêa
authors: TC
authors: Castral
authors: Andreara
authors: A
authors: de Almeida e Silva
authors: Carmen Gracinda Silvan
authors: CG
authors: Scochi
mesh_terms: D001942:Breast Feeding; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D013997:Time Factors