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Long-Term Tube Feeding Practices and Involvement of Nurses in Tube Feeding Decisions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 November 2010

Donna Wilson
Donna Wilson
Affiliation:
University of Alberta
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Abstract

Tube feeding is a common, and frequently long-term, form of life support. Currently, no distinction is made between short-and long-term tube feeding; the latter being a replacement of the ability to eat on an ongoing, possibly permanent, basis. Little research has focussed on long-term feeding. Consequently, the implications and practices of long-term feeding remain undetermined. Hospital charts of ten accessible patients, who had long-term tube feeding were examined in order to answer pre-determined questions. Reporting includes: feeding solution types, tubes, and methods; medical diagnoses and functional reasons for tube feeding; changes in mental and physical conditions since initiation of tube feeding; involvement of nurses and others in tube feeding decisions, and decisions to continue tube feeding after initiation. Tube feeding was demonstrated to be capable of sustaining life over long periods of time. Despite improved nutrition, patients' overall levels of mental and physical capacity and self-care abilities were found unimproved. Maintenance of life may be the only goal of long-term tube feeding.

Résumé

Le gavage est fréquemment utilisé pour supporter la vie à long terme. Actuellement, aucune distinction est faite entre le gavage à court terme et celui à long terme, ce dernier étant un remplacement de l'habilité de manger sur une base continuelle et permanente. Très peu de recherches ont été faites sur le gavage à long terme. Conséquemment, les implications et pratiques du gavage à long terme demeurent indéterminées. Les dossiers hospitaliers de dix patients ayant été alimentés par gavage à long terme ont été examinés pour répondre à des questions prédéterminées. Le rapport de ce travail inclut plusieurs sujets: les types de solutions pour alimenter les patients, les types de tubes, les différentes méthodes utilisées, les diagnostics médicaux et les raisons qui justifient ce type d'alimentation, sans oublier l'implication des infirmières et des autres intervenants dans la décision d'initier et de continuer le gavage. On a pu démontrer que le gavage permettait la survie du patient à très long terme. Cependant, en dépit de l'amélioration de la nutrition, aucun progrès n'a pu être constaté ni sur le plan des capacités physiques et mentales des patients, ni sur le plan de leur prise en charge. Maintenir en vie semble être le seul but du gavage à long terme.

Keywords

Enteral FeedingTube FeedingLong-term Tube FeedingPractices Of Tube FeedingNurse InvolvementNurse Decision-makingNutrition entéralgavagegavage à long termepratiques de gavageimplication de l'infirmièreprise de décision par l'infirmière
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 10 , Issue 4 , Winter/hiver 1991 , pp. 333 - 344
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 1991

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