Home enteral-tube feeding: The changing role of the dietitian

Abstract

Enteral feeding in primary care has increased markedly over the last decade. It allows patients to be discharged to home or residential care who previously would have remained in hospital. Difficulties do arise for patients, their carers and health professionals, as care of these patients and support for health professionals is often patchy or non-existent. Dietitians are uniquely placed to participate in the management of tube feeding in primary care, provide support and education to patients and their carers, evaluate treatment and promote better outcomes for patients receiving tube feeding.

Exploring extended scope of practice in dietetics: A systems approach

“…Moreover, in the present study the ESP dietitian was perceived by interviewees to be helpful in reducing the workload for others in the team. This finding is similar to the results of other studies conducted overseas which investigated the effects of ESP dietitians . Thus, although some health professionals may be hesitant to accept the extended scope model for dietitians initially, it appears that support for the model increases after personally experiencing the benefits.…”

A survey of the reasons patients do not chose percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy/jejunostomy (PEG/PEJ) as a route for long‐term feeding

“…Second, they were concerned about problems relating to wound infection or leakage, expressing during the study that it would be very hard to deal with wound infection or leakage, which might cause difficulty in daily care like bathing or changing clothes. As noted by Madigan (2003), this may be a reflection of levels of anxiety and negative occurrences remembered from hospitalisation that were observed and experienced by patients and their families. A natural desire to avoid doing or changing anything that may cause problems or additional care difficulty coupled with a lack of appropriate patient/caregiver education leading to a fuller understanding of feeding systems is an issue that needs further investigation.…”

Managing patients with gastrostomy tubes in the community: Can a dedicated enteral feed dietetic service reduce hospital readmissions?

“…22 This has increased demands on healthcare professionals involved in the Gastrostomy tubes and the role of HEF teams M Kurien et al aftercare of enteral feed patients within communities, frequently leading to shortfalls within the service. 23,24 There have been limited studies evaluating gastrostomy patients within the community and the role healthcare teams have upon their management. We believe that this study is the largest prospective study examining the aftercare requirements of gastrostomy patients within the community and also highlights the benefits a dedicated enteral feed dietetic service may have in managing tube and stoma complications.…”