Geriatric nurses' attitudes towards the use of nasogastric feeding-tubes in demented patients

Geriatric nurses' attitudes towards the use of nasogastric feeding-tubes in severely demented patients were evaluated. A questionnaire was administered to 232 geriatric nurses asking whether they would favour enteral feeding for demented patients who were unable or refused to eat. The great majority of nurses (73.3%) were favourable; previous experience with nasogastric feeding-tubes and a moderate to high level of religiosity were both significantly associated with this attitude. For the great majority (70.6%) of those favourable the patient's mental status was immaterial to their attitude. Also irrelevant were patients' and/or caregivers' wishes and economic and quality of life issues. This survey suggests that the majority of nurses consider enteral feeding as an ordinary basic practice, disregarding the complexity of the problem, which needs an individualized, multifaceted approach.