Please note the time zone when you are registering. This session is being held at 3:00 pm CST/4:00 pm EST. Click Take Course to Register. 

Presenters:

Cynthia Lira-Crame, MSN, RNC-NIC, NPD-BC, Magnet & Nursing Excellence Program Manager, Nursing Staff Development, Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center

Anne Albi, M.S., CCC-SLP, IBCLC, Speech Therapist Senior MW, Acute Care Rehabilitation, Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital

Myla Barias Mangubat, BSN, RN, CPN, NICU, Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center

Disclosure:

Faculty disclosures are being reviewed and will be presented to the audience in advance of the program.

Objectives:

The National Association of Neonatal Nurses (NANN) recommends using a standard feeding assessment tool in the neonatal intensive care (NICU). Existing tools had many barriers to implementation. This presentation will provide an overview of how an interdisciplinary team developed, tested, and implemented a novel infant feeding assessment tool to standardize care across NICUs in Advocate Health. Findings from the pilot study led to the launch of the SMART Tool Implementation Study in progress across the enterprise.

Objectives: Participants will be able to

1. Describe the prevalence and impact of feeding disorders in the NICU patient population.

2. Discuss the evidence for developing the SMART Tool for infant feeding skill assessment in the NICU.

3. Identify the results of the psychometric study supporting the validity/reliability of the SMART Tool.

4. Relate how researchers are implementing the SMART Tool and measuring the impact with NICU babies.

5. Identify 1-2 key take aways about how new tools are developed and used to standardize care.