title: Assessment Tools for Evaluation of Oral Feeding in Infants Younger Than 6 Months.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Feeding difficulty is common in infants younger than 6 months. Identification of infants in need of specialized treatment is critical to ensure appropriate nutrition and feeding skill development. Valid and reliable assessment tools help clinicians objectively evaluate feeding.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To identify and evaluate assessment tools available for clinical assessment of bottle- and breastfeeding in infants younger than 6 months.
  
  
  METHODS
  CINAHL, HaPI, PubMed, and Web of Science were searched for "infant feeding" and "assessment tool." The literature (n = 237) was reviewed for relevant assessment tools. A secondary search was conducted in CINAHL and PubMed for additional literature on identified tools.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eighteen assessment tools met inclusion criteria. Of these, 7 were excluded because of limited available literature or because they were intended for use with a specific diagnosis or in research only. There are 11 assessment tools available for clinical practice. Only 2 of these were intended for bottle-feeding. All 11 indicated that they were appropriate for use with breastfeeding. None of the available tools have adequate psychometric development and testing.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  All of the tools should be used with caution. The Early Feeding Skills Assessment and Bristol Breastfeeding Assessment Tool had the most supportive psychometric development and testing.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Feeding assessment tools need to be developed and tested to guide optimal clinical care of infants from birth through 6 months. A tool that assesses both bottle- and breastfeeding would allow for consistent assessment across feeding methods.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill (Dr Pados); School of Nursing, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts (Dr Park); School of Nursing, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina (Dr Estrem); and Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina (Ms Awotwi).
authors.forename: Britt F
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Pados
authors.forename: Jinhee
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Hayley
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Estrem
authors.forename: Araba
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Awotwi
mesh_terms: D001903:Bottle Feeding; D001942:Breast Feeding; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000451:nursing; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D018730:Infant Behavior; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009730:Nursing Assessment / Q000379:methods*