The effect of oral training on vital signs of premature infants

Aims and objectives: This study aimed to develop an applicable oral training protocol and test its effects on vital sign stabilisation in premature infants. Background: Oral training improves the feeding behaviour of premature infants. However, the inconsistencies of oral training procedures in previous studies obscure the interventional effect of oral training on vital sign stabilisation in premature infants. Design: True experimental design. Methods: Sixty premature infants with a gestational age <33 weeks were recruited and randomly assigned to the oral training or control group. Results: Heart rate, respiratory rate and oxygen saturation tended to improve in the oral training group compared to those in the control group. However, the intergroup differences with respect to vital signs before and after feeding were not statistically significant. Conclusions: Further studies comparing protocols with different measurement points and durations are suggested.