American journal of critical care : an official publication, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
-
Multicenter Study
Withholding or continuing enteral feedings during repositioning and the incidence of aspiration.
Withholding enteral feedings during repositioning is based on tradition, but available evidence does not support this practice. Although research indicates that withholding of enteral feedings during repositioning contributes to undernourishment, the relationship between continuing enteral feedings during repositioning and the incidence of aspiration has not been determined. ⋯ A research protocol to directly explore the relationship between the incidence of aspiration and withholding or continuing enteral feedings during repositioning is feasible.
-
Ethical conflicts, often leading to poor teamwork and moral distress, are very challenging to patients, patients' families, and health care providers. A proactive approach to ethical conflicts may improve patient care outcomes. ⋯ A phenomenon of shared suffering emerged from the study and signifies the importance of relational strategies such as routine family conferences and ethics consultation.