title: Assessment for oral feeding in preterm infants.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the accuracy of the Preterm Oral Feeding Readiness Scale (POFRAS) on the beginning of oral feeding in preterm infants and to verify the concordance between this tool and the Oral Feeding Skill Level.
  
  
  METHODS
  82 preterm infants were assessed by POFRAS regarding their readiness to initiate oral feeding and by the oral feeding skill level evaluation during the first oral feeding. POFRAS's accuracy was estimated regarding proficiency by a Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curve. The concordance between the tools was obtained by analysis of the Kappa coefficient.
  
  
  RESULTS
  POFRAS's global accuracy was of 71.29%. The cut-off value of 29 was the one that presented most optimization of the sensitivity based on specificity. The Kappa coefficient has shown a weak concordance between the instruments to identify infants able and unable to oral feeding (k=0.281).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  POFRAS's accuracy to initiate oral feeding considering the proficiency was similar to that obtained with the technique of translactation. We observed a weak concordance between the instruments. We suggest that, in clinical practice, both instruments should be used in a complementary manner, since both present important aspects of the preterm feeding behavior that together will better guide the necessary conduct to provide an effective and quick transition to full oral feeding in this population.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Santa Maria - UFSM - Santa Maria (RS), Brasil.
authors.forename: Geovana de Paula
authors.initials: Gde P
authors.lastname: Bolzan
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Santa Maria - UFSM - Santa Maria (RS), Brasil.
authors.forename: Luana Cristina
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Berwig
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Santa Maria - UFSM - Santa Maria (RS), Brasil.
authors.forename: Leila Sauer
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Prade
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Santa Maria - UFSM - Santa Maria (RS), Brasil.
authors.forename: Lilian Kopp
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Cuti
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Santa Maria - UFSM - Santa Maria (RS), Brasil.
authors.forename: Raquel Coube de Carvalho
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Santa Maria - UFSM - Santa Maria (RS), Brasil.
authors.forename: Ana Maria Toniolo da
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Santa Maria - UFSM - Santa Maria (RS), Brasil.
authors.forename: Angela Regina Maciel
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Weinmann
mesh_terms: D001903:Bottle Feeding; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000145:classification* / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D008297:Male; D012372:ROC Curve; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013391:Sucking Behavior / Q000145:classification* / Q000502:physiology