Abstract
OBJECTIVES: We aimed to gather insights from physicians regarding feeding practices for premature infants in the Middle East and North Africa. METHODS: An online survey was distributed among physicians who managed premature infants. Descriptive analyses were used to evaluate the responses. RESULTS: In total, 1000 out of 1300 participants from Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and the United Arab Emirates completed the survey. As reported, the participants included neonatologists (n = 678), general pediatricians (n = 258), and pediatric gastroenterologists (n = 14). Nearly half the participants (n = 466; 49.2%) had over 10 years of experience. Overall, 53.4% of participants followed available feeding protocols, 16.8% inconsistently adhered to available protocols, and 14.8% reported unavailability of feeding protocols in their practice. Some participants (36%) had concerns about feeding-related complications with early initiation of enteral feeding. We observed variations in feeding practices as well as the management and monitoring of feeding-related complications in preterm infants among the participants. Additionally, awareness of human milk fortifiers was variable and correlated with clinical experience. CONCLUSION: There is a need for training healthcare professionals, standardizing feeding protocols, and optimizing care for preterm infants across the region to reduce feeding-related complications and improve long-term health outcomes.