title: Medical professionals' attitudes toward tube feeding for themselves or their families: a multicenter survey in Japan.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Many studies have shown a lack of advantages to tube feeding for elderly with advanced dementia, but tube feeding is still considered standard care in Japan. The aim of this study is to investigate what nutrition method health care professionals want for themselves or their families, if they fall into a bedridden state due to irreversible impaired cognition in old age.
  
  
  METHODS
  In 2010 we surveyed 1321 Japanese health care professionals including 251 medical doctors and 1070 nurses. Their attitudes toward tube feeding were assessed by using an anonymous questionnaire, which included desired feeding methods for themselves or their families and propriety of card-based declaration of intent for end-of-life care.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Rates of accepting tube feeding for themselves and their families were 14.4% and 43.4%, respectively. In multivariate analyses, working at a municipal hospital and high frequency of taking care of tube-fed elderly patients were predictors of refusing tube feeding for themselves. Working at a municipal hospital and being a medical doctor were predictors of refusing tube feeding for their families. The rate of welcoming card-based declaration of intent for end-of-life care including feeding methods was 65.2%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Many doctors and nurses, especially with more frequent contact with tubefed patients, rejected tube feeding for themselves on their own deathbed, but did not always refuse this option for their families.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine 2, Oita University Faculty of Medicine, Oita, Japan. komiyakh1@oita-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Kosaku
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Komiya
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ishii
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Teramoto
authors.forename: Takaaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yasuda
authors.forename: Shintaro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Hidehiko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.forename: Osamu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Kazufumi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hiramatsu
authors.forename: Jun-ichi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kadota
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003704:Dementia / Q000451:nursing; D004750:Enteral Nutrition; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009726:Nurses / Q000523:psychology; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult