Abstract Body
Objective: Neonatal oral sucking assessment is critical for managing feeding difficulties in the NICU, yet traditional training relies on subjective experience and lacks quantitative standards. This study aims to develop a virtual simulation system based on real infant sucking dynamics data and evaluate its effectiveness in nurse training.
Methods: A tongue mechanics model was constructed using sucking dynamics data from over 100 infants (sucking frequency , force curve, mandibular movement). A virtual simulation system was developed to replicate abnormal behaviors like immature sucking and uncoordinated swallowing. Forty NICU nurses were randomly assigned to either virtual simulation training (intervention) or traditional video teaching (control). Post-training comparisons included oral assessment accuracy , operational skill scores, and satisfaction.
Results: The intervention group demonstrated significantly higher oral assessment accuracy (91.3% vs. 78.5%, P