Abstract
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.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1111-1116 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry |
| Volume | 11 |
| Issue number | 12 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Dec 1996 |
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Keywords
- Dementia
- End-of-life decisions
- Feeding tube
- Medical ethics
- Nurses
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Geriatrics and Gerontology
- Psychiatry and Mental health
Cite this
Geriatric nurses' attitudes towards the use of nasogastric feeding-tubes in demented patients. / Zanetti, Orazio; Bianchetti, Angelo; Zanetti, Ermellina; Magni, Eugenio; Frisoni, Giovanni B.; Trabucchi, Marco.
In: International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, Vol. 11, No. 12, 12.1996, p. 1111-1116.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Geriatric nurses' attitudes towards the use of nasogastric feeding-tubes in demented patients
AU - Zanetti, Orazio
AU - Bianchetti, Angelo
AU - Zanetti, Ermellina
AU - Magni, Eugenio
AU - Frisoni, Giovanni B.
AU - Trabucchi, Marco
PY - 1996/12
Y1 - 1996/12
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
KW - Dementia
KW - End-of-life decisions
KW - Feeding tube
KW - Medical ethics
KW - Nurses
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0030474753&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/(SICI)1099-1166(199612)11:12<1111::AID-GPS437>3.0.CO;2-Y
DO - 10.1002/(SICI)1099-1166(199612)11:12<1111::AID-GPS437>3.0.CO;2-Y
M3 - Article
VL - 11
SP - 1111
EP - 1116
JO - International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry
JF - International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry
SN - 0885-6230
IS - 12
ER -