Attitudes of Health Care Professionals Towards Gastrostomy Feeding in Older Adults in Malaysia

Background: The uptake of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube insertion for long-term enteral feeding in the Malaysian population is poor. This study investigates the perception of Malaysian health care professionals (HCPs) towards gastrostomy feeding. Methods: A survey on knowledge, awareness of, and barriers to gastrostomy feeding was conducted among HCPs attending a national geriatrics conference. Responses were evaluated according to profession, years of experience, and specialty. Results: The questionnaire was completed by 180 participants. Of these, 119/180 (66%) agreed PEG feeding should be used for long-term enteral feeding (>8 weeks). Doctors were more likely to agree because they were convinced of the benefit of PEG feeding [odds ratio (OR), 95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.76 (1.06, 7.17)]. HCPs with >5 years' experience were more likely to agree because of family members' opinion [2.56 (1.11, 5.92)] and geriatrics workers were more likely to agree due to previous experiences [3.29 (1.30-8.34)]. Doctors were more likely to disagree due to unavailability of a PEG service [40.29 (5.59-290.42)], HCPs with >5 years' experience were more likely to disagree due to risks of the procedure [3.35 (0.92, 12.24)] and geriatrics workers were more likely to disagree as they were not convinced of the benefit of PEG feeding [5.57 (1.00-31.05)]. Conclusion: This survey indicated that most HCPs involved in the care of geriatric patients would advocate PEG feeding. Important factors inhibiting the use of PEG tube feeding in Malaysia were identified. Future studies should explore the barriers to acceptance in order to identify potential solutions to improving PEG feeding use in Malaysia. Copyright (C) 2015, Taiwan Society of Geriatric Emergency & Critical Care Medicine. Published by Elsevier Taiwan LLC. All rights reserved.