Performance of Critical Care Nurses in Nasogastric Tube Nutrition in Ardabil Hospitals

Nasogastric tube feeding is a good nutritional method for patients in intensive care units which its implementation is the nurses' responsibility. Improving the performance of nurses in nasogastric tube feeding reduces the hospital costs and provides better clinical outcomes for patients. The purpose of this study was to survey the performance of nurses in nasogastric tube feeding in Ardabil hospitals.

A demographic questionnaire and a standard nutritional checklist were used in a descriptive-analytical study. The performance of 66 nurses in intensive care units of Ardebil hospitals was observed in 3 shifts; morning, evening and night. Obtained data were analyzed using the SPSS 24. T-test and one-way ANOVA analysis were used to determine the effects of demographic factors on nurses' performance.

The overall performance average of the nurses in intensive care units of Ardabil hospitals in nasogastric tubes feeding was 68.8±6.9, indicating a moderate level of performance. The results showed that nurses' performance was significantly different between the three stages; before, during and after tube feeding (p≤0.001), so that the performance of nurses was better in the pre-tubal feeding stage compared to the other stages. In the present study, there were no significant differences between demographic factors and different shifts in the performance of nurses in nasogastric tube feeding.

The results of this study showed that the mean score of nurses' performance is moderate. Therefore, it is essential to train nurses according to standards to follow tube feeding protocols