The effects of systematic educational interventions about nasogastric tube feeding on caregivers' knowledge and skills and the incidence of feeding complications

Abstract

Aims and objectives: To compare the influence of a systematic nursing intervention on primary caregivers' knowledge and skills about nasogastric tube feeding and the number of nasogastric tube-related complications with that of routine nursing instructions

Background: To ensure the quality of care and reduce the incidence of complications, it is crucial that primary caregivers receive comprehensive health education about nasogastric tube feeding before hospital discharge.

Design: A quasi-experimental research with pretest/post-test evaluations.

Methods: The control group included 127 inpatients whose caregivers received routine education about nasogastric tube feeding, while the experimental group included 106 inpatients whose caregivers received systematic nursing intervention including comprehensive educational pamphlets and video education. The evaluation questionnaire included demographic variables, a nasogastric tube care knowledge scale, and a nasogastric tube skills assessment scale. The post-test was administered after the caregiver performed nasogastric tube feeding for the first time, and complications were noted at follow-up within three months of discharge.

Results: In terms of post-test knowledge and skills, the experimental group scored significantly higher than the control group, despite no difference in the pretests. In addition, the incidence rates for constipation, diarrhoea and abdominal distention were lower in the experimental group.

Conclusions: Systematic nursing intervention, including comprehensive educational pamphlets and video education, significantly improved the knowledge and skills of primary caregivers for nasogastric tube feeding. The increased ability of caregivers may have contributed to less incidence of complication.

Relevance to clinical practice: The results of this study underlined the importance of developing nasogastric tube-related nursing interventions and educational strategies for clinical nurses, home care nurses and caregivers. The research tool used here may serve as a reference for assessing the technical operations of healthcare professionals and the knowledge and skills of caregivers.

Keywords: caregiver; nasogastric tube feeding; systematic nursing intervention.