An-Najah Staff

This issue’s RoundTable Discussion discusses the use of alternative feeding methods among healthy and compromised infants at 5 hospitals, in Palestine, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Taiwan, and the United States. It is interesting to note that “alternative feeding methods” in some cultures has come to imply “alternatives to the bottle” when breastfeeding is not possible. In other cultures, bottles are rarely used, and thus, it implies, “alternatives to the breast.” It is generally agreed that a lack of evidence-based research exists regarding the efficacy of one alternative means over another. A Cochrane Review stated that cup feeding was not recommended over bottles in the hospital setting, but according to a World Health Organization Commentary on this Review, the conclusion was of limited applicability, “since most of the studies included in the review had been conducted in hospitals in developed countries. Responses below highlight both differences and similarities in approach from a range of settings in different nations.