LEARNING OUTCOME: To define areas of effectiveness of education for home enteral nutrition as well as areas needing improvement. Patients who received home enteral nutrition (HEN) education from registered dietitians were surveyed 2 weeks after instruction to determine whether they felt prepared to handle their tube feedings, whether they found the instructional materials helpful, and who they contacted with additional questions. They were asked the feeding and water-flush volumes they were taking and their tolerance to the feedings, including occurrence of constipation, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, tube clogging, or other complications. Of 57 patients surveyed, 93% reported feeling prepared to handle the feedings at home at the time of discharge, 98% reported that the instruction materials provided were helpful. Fifty-three percent had questions after discharge, related to tolerance, complications, and supplies. Persons contacted to answer their questions included the dietitians, physicians, nurses, and home care suppliers. Twenty-eight percent of patients reported intake of less than 90% of their prescribed formula and water flushes on a daily basis, due to intolerance or unspecified reasons. The most common complications included constipation (23 cases), diarrhea (11 cases), and tube-clogging (8 cases). Complications could not be related directly to any specific type of formula, but were associated with suboptimal intake. Patients frequently experience changes in feeding plans for a variety of reasons that may not be anticipated by the health care provider. Providing patients with a variety of approaches for handling intolerances or changes in feeding schedules may improve the delivery of the enteral feedings and water flushes. While HEN instructions given by dietitians prepared the patients for administration of their tube feedings, incorporating follow-up phone calls may improve adequacy of intake, complications and attainment of home tube feeding goals, such as weight maintenance.