Shin Yuh Ang1, Siew Hoon Lim2, Mei Ling Lim3, Xin Ping Ng4, Lam Madeleine5, Mei Mei Chan6, Violeta Lopez7. 1. Division of Nursing, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore. Electronic address: ang.shin.yuh@sgh.com.sg. 2. Division of Nursing, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore. Electronic address: lim.siew.hoon1@sgh.com.sg. 3. Neuroscience Research Australia, Australia. Electronic address: m.lim@neura.edu.au. 4. Division of Nursing, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore. Electronic address: ng.xin.ping@sgh.com.sg. 5. Division of Nursing, Home Nursing Foundation, Singapore. Electronic address: madeleinelam88@gmail.com. 6. Division of Nursing, Home Nursing Foundation, Singapore. Electronic address: meimei.chan@hnf.org.sg. 7. Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore. Electronic address: nurvl@nus.edu.sg.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: With an aging population, there is a concomitant increase in number of patients with dysphagia; and hence increase in prevalence of enteral feeding. Health care professionals play a critical role in informing decisions of patients and caregivers on their choice of modality for long-term home enteral feeding. AIMS: To explore the perceptions of health care professionals on different modalities for enteral feeding and their experiences in initiating long-term enteral feeding among adult patients. METHODS: A qualitative explorative descriptive study design with purposive sampling approach was adopted. A total of four speech therapists, fifteen nurses and seven doctors who were ever involved in initiating long term home enteral tube feeding were recruited over a data collection period of August to December 2017. One to one interviews were conducted and audio-recorded. An inductive content analysis approach, with open coding, creation of categories and abstraction of data was adopted. RESULTS: Four main themes were generated: (1) Naso-gastric Tube Feeding (NGT) is health care professionals' first choice of modality; (2) Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy Tube Feeding (PEG) is regarded as an alternative approach; (3) Perceived better outcomes with PEG; and (4) Identified barriers to promotion of PEG. CONCLUSION: NGT remained as the modality of choice although health care professionals perceived that patients will have better outcomes with the use of PEG.
BACKGROUND: With an aging population, there is a concomitant increase in number of patients with dysphagia; and hence increase in prevalence of enteral feeding. Health care professionals play a critical role in informing decisions of patients and caregivers on their choice of modality for long-term home enteral feeding. AIMS: To explore the perceptions of health care professionals on different modalities for enteral feeding and their experiences in initiating long-term enteral feeding among adult patients. METHODS: A qualitative explorative descriptive study design with purposive sampling approach was adopted. A total of four speech therapists, fifteen nurses and seven doctors who were ever involved in initiating long term home enteral tube feeding were recruited over a data collection period of August to December 2017. One to one interviews were conducted and audio-recorded. An inductive content analysis approach, with open coding, creation of categories and abstraction of data was adopted. RESULTS: Four main themes were generated: (1) Naso-gastric Tube Feeding (NGT) is health care professionals' first choice of modality; (2) Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy Tube Feeding (PEG) is regarded as an alternative approach; (3) Perceived better outcomes with PEG; and (4) Identified barriers to promotion of PEG. CONCLUSION: NGT remained as the modality of choice although health care professionals perceived that patients will have better outcomes with the use of PEG.