Incidents related to feeding tube in hospitalized patients

• Grant number: 16/17518-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: November 01, 2016
• End date: October 31, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Nursing
• Principal Investigator: Fernanda Raphael Escobar Gimenes de Sousa
• Grantee: Wanda Maria de Souza
• Host Institution: Escola de Enfermagem de Ribeirão Preto (EERP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Hospitalized patients in use of enteral tubes are at constant risk for incidents; therefore, healthcare professionals need to routinely monitor risks and adopt strategies for patient safety and for quality of care. The objectives will be to identify the incidents related to enteral tube in hospitalized patients and associated factors. This is a multicenter study, with quantitative descriptive and correlational method. Data will be collected at the general medical ward of a university hospital in São Paulo state. The sample will consist of 144 patients that require enteral tube for feeding and/or medication during hospitalization. Three different methods will be used to identify incidents related to enteral tube: (1) healthcare professionals and patients/caregivers will be required to report any incidents related to enteral tube; (2) the researcher will visit the wards to get information about the incidents with healthcare professionals and patients/caregivers; (3) the researcher will review the medical records looking for information on the occurrence of incidents related to enteral tube. Sociodemographic and clinical data will be obtained from the medical records and will be registered in a specific tool developed for the purposes of this study. The complexity of patients will be assessed by the Patient Classification System proposed by Fugulin, and patient gravity through the Charlson comorbidity index. It is expected that the results encourage the use of evidence effectively to influence the development of practices and policies that will make the care of hospitalized patients in use of enteral tube safer. (AU)