ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Children and Health
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1597256
This article is part of the Research TopicEnsuring Public Health: The Active Role of Healthcare ProfessionalsView all 32 articles
Enhancing the feeding journey of the preterm infant in the NICU: the STAMMI VICINO pathway as a model of integrated and individualized neurodevelopmental care
Provisionally accepted
Cecilia Naboni1*
Raissa Francesca Costantino2Stefania Longo3
Pierpaolo Servi3
Sonia Trussardi2Maria Grazia Tuoto3
Stefano Ghirardello3Simona Orcesi1,2- 1Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Lombardy, Italy
- 2Child Neuropsychiatry Unit, Neurological Institute Foundation Casimiro Mondino (IRCCS), Pavia, Lombardy, Italy
- 3Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, San Matteo Hospital Foundation (IRCCS), Pavia, Lombardy, Italy
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Introduction: Preterm birth remains a significant public health concern, with infants born before 32 weeks of postmenstrual age at a higher risk for various comorbidities and neurodevelopmental impairments. Feeding challenges are particularly prevalent in preterm infants due to the immaturity of their physiological functions. The neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) environment can exacerbate these vulnerabilities through unregulated sensory stimulation and limited parental contact. Methods: A multiprofessional focus group was conducted to identify roles and responsibilities among NICU healthcare providers to develop and implement an individualized, integrated, interprofessional, and multidimensional care protocol. The aim is to promote neurobehavioral and early feeding skills in preterm newborns in the NICU. The protocol was grounded in the Newborn Individualized Developmental Care and Assessment Program (NIDCAP) and European Standards of Care for Newborn Health, with a focus on minimizing stress, enhancing parental empowerment, and utilizing a cue-based feeding approach. Results: The resulting "STAmmi VICINO" pathway consists of six flexible joint meetings at the infant's crib, involving parents and healthcare professionals, to provide comprehensive care strategies for the transition from enteral nutrition to autonomous sucking. Preliminary integration in the NICU practice demonstrated the feasibility and positive acceptance of the protocol among practitioners. Discussion: Oral feeding skills in preterm infants should not be assessed separately from neurobehavioral development. An interdisciplinary, family centered approach is critical for successful early intervention programs that aim to positively impact neurodevelopment.
Keywords: Preterm newborn, neurodevelopment, Early Intervention, NICu, healthcare providers, Family centered care, neurobehavior, feeding
Received: 20 May 2025; Accepted: 29 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Naboni, Costantino, Longo, Servi, Trussardi, Tuoto, Ghirardello and Orcesi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Cecilia Naboni, Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, 27100, Lombardy, Italy
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.