CHAMP App Feeding Difficulties Repository

Around 25% of children are reported to have some degree of feeding issues of whom 3-10% have more severe feeding disorders1. Many of these feeding issues and difficulties can also lead to a need for supplemental nutrition in a child's diet due to the impact on growth. Those requiring supplemental nutrition may find themselves having to be fed using tube feedings (TF), which carries its own set of obstacles and factors to consider. While feeding problems have been estimated to occur in 25%-35% of children observed as exhibiting normal growth, that number may spike to 85% in those with GI-related growth disorders2. This highlights the need to ensure treatment plans and programs are in place to assist this patient population.

At Children's Mercy Hospital, GI specialists care for children who have a variety of conditions, caring for the whole child and addressing physical, mental, emotional, and social aspects. By using a combined approach, and promoting research that seeks to improve care, significant improvements in children's health have been reported. One specialty this has been evident in at Children's Mercy is the cardiac patient population. There have been improvements in growth, feedings, and timeliness of interventions seen with the use of CHAMP® App in the single ventricle population (a statistically significant difference in the frequency of growth failure, with no patients having growth failure during CHAMP use)3-4. By harnessing the experience and knowledge gained through the CHAMP® App research study, there is a great potential for children suffering from GI conditions to also benefit from this form of remote patient management and monitoring, especially when it comes to treating children with supplemental nutrition needs. There are no known Gastroenterology- Feeding mobile health software platforms with a dedicated research repository in pediatrics.