title: Travelling With Children on Home Parenteral Nutrition.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Home parenteral nutrition (HPN) is an established therapy in children with intestinal failure. Parenteral nutrition (PN) management allows most paediatric patients to participate in age-appropriate activities; however, HPN may lead to significant restrictions, particularly going on holiday. We aimed to identify sociodemographic and illness-specific variables that influence if and how families with children on HPN travel.
  
  
  METHODS
  A standardised questionnaire was sent to all 40 children on HPN within a large tertiary intestinal failure centre in the United Kingdom. Depending on whether the family had/had not been on holiday since their child had started HPN, questions were asked to understand the reasons for not travelling or to gather information about individual travel experiences.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 30 children were enrolled, 20 of 30 went at least once on holiday, and 5 of 30 travelled more than once per year, 70% travelled outside Britain. Going on vacation was more common, the longer the child had been on HPN (P = 0.022); hours spent on PN tolerance of enteral feeds or the child's age did not influence travel behaviour; 80% of parents who went on vacation had a good/worthy experience, 95% would travel again. The biggest reported obstacle was the transportation of PN bags. Ten families sacrificed a holiday over fear that it may be difficult to arrange or because of the child's unstable medical condition.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A significant proportion of families chose to go on holiday away from home despite their child being on HPN. The experience is considered good by most.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Division of Nutrition and Intestinal Rehabilitation, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Cecilia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mantegazza
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: La Vela
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.forename: Jutta
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Köglmeier
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004750:Enteral Nutrition / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007410:Intestinal Diseases / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D016331:Parenteral Nutrition, Home / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014195:Travel / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006113:United Kingdom