American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias®

 

Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

Click here for more information

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Lubart, E.
Right arrow Articles by Habot, B.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Lubart, E.
Right arrow Articles by Habot, B.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati  
What's this?
American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias®, Vol. 19, No. 1, 31-34 (2004)
DOI: 10.1177/153331750401900107
© 2004 SAGE Publications

Attitudes of relatives and nursing staff toward tuboenteral feeding in severely demented patients

Emilia Lubart, MD

Arthur Leibovitz, MD

Beni Habot, MD

Shmuel Harofe Hospital, Geriatric Medical Center, Affiliated with the Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

Elder y patients with advanced dementia present a challenge with respect to efficient nutrition and hydration because of oropharyngeal dysphagia and lack of patient cooperation. For increasing numbers ofpatients, long-term tuboenteralfeeding (TEF) is an alternative for providing food and fluids, with the hope of reducing the risk of aspiration. The purpose of this study is to learn about the opinions and the attitudes of relatives and nursing staff regarding patients on TEFfor at least one year.

The study included all the dementedpatients on TEF in four skilled nursing facilities andfour nursing wards. Researchers retrieved clinical data from patients' medical records and prepared a questionnaire to survey the opinions of relatives and staff members.

The study included 1]] patients: 89 on nasogastric tube (NGT) feeding and 22 on percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) feeding. The clinical condition of both groups was satisfactory, as reflected by albumin, hemoglobin, and Body Mass Index (BMI). Relatives of the demented patients as well as the staff members were ambivalent toward TEE Although most of them called it an essential procedure for delivering food and fluids for life support, about the same number expressed concerns that TEF prolonged a life of suffering. Nevertheless, most relatives and staff members were resistant to the idea of withholding TEF.

The data show that TEF does provide efficient nutrition and hydration to patients with advanced dementia, and it is used in accordance with the will of the relatives. Any change in the present approach regarding TEF in these patients should be preceded by discussions with their relatives.

Key Words: tuboenteralfeeding (TEF) • severe dementia • oropharyngeal dysphagia • end-of-life decisions


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 J. Med. EthicsHome page
E Bryon, B D. de Casterle, and C Gastmans
Nurses' attitudes towards artificial food or fluid administration in patients with dementia and in terminally ill patients: a review of the literature
J. Med. Ethics, June 1, 2008; 34(6): 431 - 436.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]