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Feeding the critically ill child in intensive care units: a descriptive qualitative study in two tertiary hospitals
Alhassan Sibdow Abukari1, Angela Kwartemaa Acheampong2
1School of Nursing, Wisconsin International University College-Ghana, P.O Box LG, Accra, Ghana.
Insights
Optimal feeding for critically ill children in intensive care units (ICUs) is crucial for recovery. This study explored feeding criteria, revealing that medical condition and clinician expertise guide decisions on methods like cup feeding, enteral, and parenteral nutrition.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Critical Care
- Neonatal Intensive Care
- Nutritional Support
Background:
- Critically ill children in intensive care units (ICUs) require optimal nutritional support for recovery.
- Feeding critically ill children involves various factors and methods.
- Suboptimal feeding can lead to adverse outcomes in pediatric intensive care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore and describe the feeding criteria for critically ill children in neonatal and pediatric intensive care units.
- To understand the decision-making process for initiating and managing nutrition in critically ill pediatric patients.
Main Methods:
- A descriptive qualitative research design was employed.
- Data were collected through six focus group discussions and twelve one-on-one interviews.
- Purposive sampling included 42 participants in two public tertiary teaching hospitals in Ghana.
Main Results:
- The decision to feed critically ill children in the ICU was primarily based on the child's medical condition and the expertise of healthcare professionals.
- Clinicians utilized various feeding methods, including cup feeding, enteral nutrition, parenteral nutrition, and breastfeeding.
- Expert knowledge and clinical skills significantly influenced the choice of feeding modality.
Conclusions:
- Regular in-service training for clinicians on feeding critically ill children is recommended.
- Ensuring adequate logistics and specialized personnel in ICUs is vital for effective nutritional management.
- Implementing these recommendations can help reduce infant and child mortality associated with suboptimal feeding.
Background:
Critically ill children require optimum feeding in the intensive care units for speedy recovery. Several factors determine their feeding and the feeding method to adopt to address this phenomenon. The aim of this study was to explore and describe the feeding criteria of critically ill children at the neonatal and paediatric intensive care units.
Methods:
A descriptive qualitative design was used to conduct the study. Six focus group discussions were conducted, and each group had five members. In addition, twelve one-on-one interviews were conducted in two public tertiary teaching hospitals in Ghana and analyzed by content analysis using MAXQDA Plus version 2020 qualitative software. Participants were selected purposively (N = 42).
Results:
The decision to feed a critically ill child in the ICU was largely determined by the child's medical condition as well as the experts' knowledge and skills to feed. It emerged from the data that cup feeding, enteral, parenteral, and breastfeeding were the feeding processes employed by the clinicians to feed the critically ill children.
Conclusions:
Regular in-service training of clinicians on feeding critically ill children, provision of logistics and specialized personnel in the ICU are recommended to reduce possible infant and child mortality resulting from suboptimal feeding.
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