Mari is currently a clinical academic working at Evelina London Children's Hospital in the UK. She is a Clinical Specialist Speech Language Therapist with various international peer reviewed articles on neonatal feeding assessment building on the body of research presented in her PhD. She has presented at various international conferences in the USA, Africa and Europe. Her experience entails paediatric dysphagia in the acute setting with specialization in critical care and neonatal care. In her previous position as an associate professor at a university in South Africa she invested in student clinician training in the NICU setting and access to evidence based treatment for feeding disorders in infancy. Her current research interest is in mobile health application development for the Neonatal Feeding Assessment Scale for international access to a validated neonatal feeding assessment tool to identify oropharyngeal dysphagia in neonates and young infants. In addition her second tier research path is looking at the role of the speech language therapist in PICU. To support the wider clinical and scientific community she is a member of the European Society for Swallowing Disorders as well as an international affiliate member of the Royal College of Speech Language Therapists.
A dearth of validated neonatal feeding assessment instruments are available in an era where medical teams are challenged to demonstrate the evidence base of the services that are provided to neonates. The Neonatal Feeding Assessment Scale (NFAS) was developed to identify oropharyngeal dysphagia with identification of subsequent airway invasion during feeding in neonates. This presentation will take the delegates on a journey through the landscape of evidence, the research process for developing the NFAS and how the NFAS can be used in everyday practice in the NICU to support better feeding outcomes for neonates within their family context.
To Continue, Please Select Your Country of Residence
Whoops! Please select your Country before clicking "Submit"
The GOLD Learning Lecture Library is a unique & convenient resource for Healthcare Professionals, Researchers, Students and other Educators looking to stay up to date on the latest evidence-based skills and practices. Country Category pricing has been determined by World Bank Economic Indicators. Proof of residency may be requested. Learn more about our Category Pricing Here.