Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effects of Premature Infant Oral Motor Intervention (PIOMI) on body weight gain, breastfeeding behavior, and length of hospital stay in preterm infants hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
Methods: A randomized controlled experimental study design was used. A total of 32 preterm infants with gestational age between 26-30 weeks were randomly assigned to the intervention group (n=16) or control group (n=16). The intervention group received PIOMI twice daily for 7 consecutive days (14 sessions in total), while the control group received routine care only. The Premature Infant Breastfeeding Behavior Scale (PIBBS) was used to evaluate breastfeeding performance before and after the intervention. Weight changes and length of hospital stay were recorded and compared between groups.