Evaluation of the Effect of the Oral Motor Interventions on Reducing Hospital Stay in Preterm Infants

Background: Low birth weight is the most important cause of mortality in infancy which occurs due to the several reasons including the birth of a preterm (premature) baby. These infants need to be in hospital due to the undeveloped respiratory and digestive systems and coordination between different systems. Long stay in the hospital can be associated with complications and high cost of treatment, therefore, treatments that reduce the duration of stay in hospital can help the patient and the healthcare system. Methods: This study was conducted as clinical trial study through selecting both control and intervention groups. In this study, 20 cases (infants) were assigned to each group and intervention was performed using the PIOMI method. Results: The mean duration of stay in hospital in the both control and intervention groups were 19.4 (days) and 16.5 (days) respectively which showed a significant difference (P=0.027). results and Conclusion: Oral motor stimulation using PIOMI method is an effective help in earlier start of oral feeding, and reduction in the duration of stay in hospital. Therefore, this method can help the treatment of preterm infants and lower health care costs