Smarter feeding
Less is more sometimes - also with premature babies
Not all premature babies can be breastfed or bottle-fed immediately after birth. Many initially require a feeding tube.
For children who receive food via a feeding tube, nursing staff regularly check how much food remains in the stomach and what it looks like. This check helps to decide whether the amount of food needs to be adjusted or increased more slowly. If the amount cannot be increased as planned, the child grows more slowly and has to stay in the hospital longer.
As this test is stressful for premature babies every time it is performed, it should only be carried out when absolutely necessary. Clear criteria have been defined for this: only certain children remain under observation – for all others, it can be omitted.
This adjustment to procedures is being implemented as part of the “Smarter feeding” project by Laura Renz, a doctor at the Children’s Hospital of Central Switzerland.
Laura is part of the Smarter Talents Program of Smarter Medicine Switzerland.
The CCHA supports the project by extracting and validating data before and after the guidelines are adjusted.