Swallowing Exercises in Preterm Infants
Standing
Undergraduate
Type of Proposal
Oral Research Presentation
Challenges Theme
Open Challenge
Faculty Sponsor
Dr. Sajit Augustine, Dr. Telford Yeung
Proposal
Preterm infants (GA < 33 wks) often spend a significant amount of time in the NICU following birth, with the final skill acquired before discharge being independent oral feeding (IOF). The effectiveness of swallowing exercises in decreasing the time to IOF in preterm infants has been widely studied; however, little research has been done on the swallowing exercises' effectiveness in achieving faster IOF and earlier discharge from the NICU. This study implements a swallowing exercise program for preterm infants at Windsor Regional Hospital, comparing patients' time to IOF and discharge from the NICU to age-matched controls. Preliminary data analysis has shown that the swallowing exercises decrease patients' time to IOF and result in faster discharge compared to age-matched controls.
Grand Challenges
Viable, Healthy and Safe Communities
Swallowing Exercises in Preterm Infants
Preterm infants (GA < 33 wks) often spend a significant amount of time in the NICU following birth, with the final skill acquired before discharge being independent oral feeding (IOF). The effectiveness of swallowing exercises in decreasing the time to IOF in preterm infants has been widely studied; however, little research has been done on the swallowing exercises' effectiveness in achieving faster IOF and earlier discharge from the NICU. This study implements a swallowing exercise program for preterm infants at Windsor Regional Hospital, comparing patients' time to IOF and discharge from the NICU to age-matched controls. Preliminary data analysis has shown that the swallowing exercises decrease patients' time to IOF and result in faster discharge compared to age-matched controls.