Monitoring and Evaluation

Pediatric feeding care continues with monitoring and evaluation.  The purpose of monitoring and evaluation is to measure the amount of progress made for the intervention(s) and determine whether the related goals or expected outcomes are being met. This is depicted in the Pediatric Feeding Care Cycle (Figure 13). 

Monitoring and evaluation will vary dependent on the child and family needs, program requirements, and goals and interventions selected. The timeframe and frequency of monitoring and evaluation will be patient-dependent. For children with more acute issues, follow-up may occur more frequently with phone follow-ups and in-person visits, e.g. every one to two months, whereas children with more stable needs may be seen less frequently, e.g. every three months (Mascarenhas, Zemel, & Stallings, 1998). For children receiving multiple assessment and feeding therapies, overlapping follow-up by other members of the interdisciplinary team may be necessary.