title: Missed oral feeding opportunities and preterm infants' time to achieve full oral feedings and neonatal intensive care unit discharge.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the association of missed oral feeding opportunities among preterm infants with achievement of full oral feedings and length of hospitalization.
  
  
  METHODS
  A secondary analysis of clinical trial data was conducted. Study infants included in the analysis (N = 89) were randomized to one of four standardized feeding progression approaches; detailed records on all feedings were maintained. The proportion of oral feeding opportunities reported as missed due to factors unrelated to the infant's clinical condition was calculated for each infant.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The proportion of missed oral feeding opportunities per infant ranged from 0 to 0.12; 30 infants experienced one or more missed oral feeding opportunity. Each 1% increase in the proportion of missed oral feeding opportunities extended the time to achieve full oral feeding by 1.45 days (p = 0.007) and time to discharge by 1.36 days (p = 0.047).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Preterm infants' missed oral feeding opportunities may adversely affect feeding outcomes and extend hospitalization.
authors.affiliation: Research in Patient Services, Division of Nursing, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio.
authors.forename: Heather L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Tubbs-Cooley
authors.affiliation: Research in Patient Services, Division of Nursing, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio.
authors.forename: Rita H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Pickler
authors.affiliation: Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio.
authors.forename: Jareen K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Meinzen-Derr
mesh_terms: D004750:Enteral Nutrition / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D017283:Neonatal Nursing; D010351:Patient Discharge; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013997:Time Factors