NCT07383272

We Need to FEED: Facilitating Enteral Education for Discharge

We Need to F.E.E.D.: Facilitating Enteral Education for Discharge - Improving the Quality of Discharge for Pediatric Patients With Enteral Tubes

• Status: Not Yet Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 20 (estimated)
• Sponsor: University of Illinois at Chicago · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 17 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Aim: We need to FEED (Facilitating Enteral Education for Discharge) project aims to streamline and enhance the discharge process for pediatric patients with enteral nutrition (including G-tubes, J-tubes, GJ-tubes, and NG-tubes) and ultimately create enteral discharge protocol. The aim of the study is to describe the effectiveness of the discharge education program for children with enteral tubes on caregiver knowledge and determine the impact of the program on unplanned ER, Urgent care or clinic visits. By ensuring that all necessary supplies, orders, and follow-up appointments are in place prior to discharge, and by providing comprehensive education and support to parents, the project seeks to improve patient outcomes, reduce healthcare utilization, enhance coordination and communication among healthcare providers.

Detailed description

Objectives and Hypothesis Objective: The primary objective of the FEED project is to enhance the discharge process for pediatric patients with enteral nutrition, ensuring adequate education, all necessary supplies, orders, follow-up appointments are in place, thereby improving patient outcomes and reducing healthcare utilization. The secondary objective of the FEED project is to create a standardized enteral discharge protocol. Tertiary goal includes ensuring video swallow studies are completed inpatient to expedite feeding therapy Hypothesis: The implementation of a structured discharge process for enteral nutrition patients will result in: 1. Reduced number of calls to the NICU, PEDS, PICU, outpatient pediatric and GI departments. 2. Decreased number of unplanned visits to emergency room, urgent care, clinic visits related to enteral nutrition issues. 3. Improved parent confidence and competence in managing enteral nutrition at home. 4. Streamlined access to early intervention and speech therapy services. 5. Enhanced coordination and communication among healthcare providers. Needs Assessment: Gastrostomy tubes (G-tubes) are commonly utilized to facilitate nutrition, hydration, and medication administration in children who have chronic inadequate oral intake due to conditions such as dysphagia, neurological disorders, chronic illnesses, oncologic problems, and other clinical conditions leading to malnutrition. Although G-tube placement is generally safe and frequently performed among pediatric patients, complications such as tube blockage, infection, and over granulation tissue are reported at varying frequencies. Home care plays a significant role in the occurrence of these common, minor, and preventable complications. Research indicates that families often face challenges in managing home care for children with G-tubes due to insufficient knowledge and inadequate discharge support from healthcare professionals. Many families report that they have not been adequately informed by healthcare providers during discharge, leading to difficulties in providing correct care and disease management. The primary issues in home care include feelings of guilt due to the necessity of tube feeding, difficulties in daily care arising from tube-related complications, and fear of potential complications associated with enteral nutrition. The long-term nature of enteral feeding with G-tubes further increases the burden of care on families. The American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN) emphasizes the importance of providing discharge education to patients with chronic illnesses and specific nutritional needs and maintaining safe home nutrition. Implementing a standardized, evidence-based discharge education protocol is expected to improve treatment outcomes, increase caregiver knowledge, and reduce the burden of care and anxiety levels. The FEED (Facilitating Enteral Education for Discharge) project addresses these identified needs by streamlining the discharge process for pediatric patients with enteral nutrition. The project aims to ensure that all necessary supplies, orders, and follow-up appointments are in place prior to discharge. It also focuses on providing comprehensive education and support to parents, thereby improving patient outcomes, reducing healthcare utilization, and enhancing coordination and communication among healthcare providers. By addressing these key areas, the FEED project aims to improve the overall care for pediatric patients with enteral nutrition, ultimately enhancing patient outcomes and reducing the healthcare burden on families.

Conditions

• Enteral Nutrition Feeding

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Education Intervention	Education on feeding tubes, booklet, inperson or via zoom education to parents of pediatric patients with newly placed feeding tube ( G-tube, GJ-tube, NG tube). Education on supply company and how to get supplies. The need for back up feeding tube etc. Size of patient feeding tube.

Timeline

• Start date: 2026-04-01
• Primary completion: 2027-03-31
• Completion: 2028-05-01
• First posted: 2026-02-03
• Last updated: 2026-03-25

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States