Assessment of socio-demographic factors influence on nurses’ adherence to protocols on nasogastric tube feeding in a county teaching and referral hospital, Kenya

Abstract

Objective: Adherence to the standard protocols during nasogastric tube (NGT) feeding is paramount. Although there are guidelines on nasogastric feeding in various hospitals in Kenya, there is a gap between the recommended and actual practice by nurses. This study aimed to assess adherence to protocols on NGT feeding among nurses in Medical, surgical wards and Intensive care unit (ICU) of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching & Referral Hospital (JOOTRH).

Design: An analytical cross-sectional study design was used in this study.

Participants: The study population were nurses taking care of patients in medical wards, surgical wards and ICU unit at JOOTRH. Census approach was used in this study to include all 3 nurses. Data sources: A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data from the nurses. To collect data on the current practices on NGT feeding and adherence to protocols, an observational checklist was used. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive and chi-square tests with the help of SPSS, at a P value of 0.05.

Results and conclusion: Majority 66.7% (n=44) of the participants had low NGT adherence. The level of education (p=0.004) and working experience (p=0.034) were significantly associated with adherence. There is therefore a low level of adherence to protocols on NGT among nurses in JOOTRH. There ought to be frequent continuous medical education and training dedicated to NGT. The training should sensitize on assessment of patient nutritional status and proper practice of NGT feeding.