Tube feeding in children having a bone marrow transplant
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A mixed methods study investigating complications, outcomes and family experiences of gastrostomy feeding in paediatric allogeneic bone marrow transplantation.
IRAS ID
281830
Contact name
James Evans
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Great Ormond Street Hospital
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Study investigating problems, results and experiences of tube feeding in children having a bone marrow transplant
Background
Children need a bone marrow transplant (BMT) to treat illnesses including cancer. Hospital stays for BMT start with the child having cancer medicines. These cause side effects including sickness and diarrhoea, meaning all children become unable to eat and need feeding through a tube. Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) offer families a choice of two feeding tubes in meetings before admission. One is put through the child’s nose, down into their stomach (a nasogastric tube), the other is placed during an operation from outside to inside the stomach (a gastrostomy). Other UK hospitals only use nasogastric tubes.
Research questions
What are the opinions of staff in BMT hospitals to tube feeding?
What problems and results happen with both tubes?
What are families experiences of tube feeding?Answers to these questions will improve care and families' decision making when choosing feeding tubes. If gastrostomy feeding is found to be safe it could be offered in all hospitals.
Methods
Work package 1: Questionnaire
Staff working in UK BMT hospitals will be asked about current practices and feelings towards tube feeding.All families having BMT at GOSH over 1 year will be invited to take part in parts 2-3:
Work package 2: Cohort study
Results including problems with feeding tubes, dietary intakes and growth, will be compared between 9-15 children with a gastrostomy versus 30-50 with a nasogastric tube, from admission to six months after BMT.Work package 3: Interviews
Families from package 2 will be interviewed twice; on admission to ask why they did or did not chose a gastrostomy, and after discharge to talk about their experience of tube feeding. Children will use a memory box and scrapbooks to explain their feelings.REC name
North East - Newcastle & North Tyneside 2 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/NE/0046
Date of REC Opinion
25 Feb 2021
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion