Abstract
The aim of this study was to examine nurses’ thinking regarding the indications for tube feeding in older adults with eating difficulties and to determine whether the team approach can improve their knowledge and tube feeding practices. We sent self-administered questionnaires to 436 nurses and collected them from November to December 2010 (response rate, 70.0%). The results indicated that approximately 30% of the Japanese nurses thought that older patients with dementia should be on tube feeding and more than half of the nurses answered that tube feeding is indicated for aspiration-prone, frail, older adults. Moreover, our findings showed that nurses who organize multidisciplinary teams performed more interventions for dysphagia before introducing tube feeding than the reference group as analyzed by multivariate adjustment (odds ratio, 2.1-6.6). In conclusion, a multidisciplinary team approach is expected to make better decisions on the treatment and care of older patients with difficulty eating, including the need for tube feeding
Highlights
Tube feeding decisions in elderly patients with various advanced comorbidities are challenging decisions with complicated issues
The results indicated that approximately 30% of the Japanese nurses thought that older patients with dementia should be on tube feeding and more than half of the nurses answered that tube feeding is indicated for aspiration-prone, frail, older adults
Physicians often need to make decisions in those cases with uncertain prognosis, and this decision-making process is poorly understood. This may be one of the reasons for explaining the higher percentage of tube feeding in demented patients in Japan than in western countries; approximately 5% - 30% of the advanced demented patients in a nursing home are on tube feeding in Europe and the United States, while in Japan about 50% of those patients are on tube feeding [1,2,3,4]
Summary
Tube feeding decisions in elderly patients with various advanced comorbidities are challenging decisions with complicated issues. Physicians often need to make decisions in those cases with uncertain prognosis, and this decision-making process is poorly understood. This may be one of the reasons for explaining the higher percentage of tube feeding in demented patients in Japan than in western countries; approximately 5% - 30% of the advanced demented patients in a nursing home are on tube feeding in Europe and the United States, while in Japan about 50% of those patients are on tube feeding [1,2,3,4]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
