Authors (including presenting author) :
Lo YF, Law S, Wong PH, Chan TC, Ng LHB, Luk JKH
Affiliation :
TWGHs Fung Yiu King Hospital
Introduction :
Careful Hand Feeding (CHF) has been advocated as an alternative for older people with eating problems. Fung Yiu King Hospital (FYKH) has implemented the CHF program since 20 February 2017. It provides an alternative mode of feeding for suitable older patients with advanced dementia or other irreversible chronic illnesses facing End-of-Life (EOL) situation.
Objectives :
To conduct a questionnaire survey on staff regarding the CHF program in FYKH.
Methodology :
A questionnaire consisted of 10 questions were distributed to ward staff (doctors, nurses, allied health professionals) who had experience in taking care of CHF patients. The questions were designed using a 11-point Likert scale of 0 to 10, with 0 = strongly disagree, 10 = strongly agree. Score 6 to 10 in each question was considered to agree with the question statement and analyzed as such.
Result & Outcome :
Results: The questionnaires were distributed to 147 ward staff in June, 2021. 121 questionnaires were returned finally, with a return rate of 82.3%. The respondents consisted of 6 doctors, 67 nurses, 4 physiotherapists, 7 occupational therapists, 2 speech therapists, 3 dietitians, 3 medical social workers and 29 supporting staff. 92.5% of the staff involved in the survey believed CHF was a more humane way to take care of older patients. 94.2% agreed the program was able to foster patient’s dignity and self-respect. 89% perceived that the program could inspire human interaction and intimate contact that comes with being fed. 87.6% believed they had adequate knowledge and skill training on CHF. 92.5% thought the program had adequate communication and explanation before commencing. 87.6% found patients to be at peace and satisfied during the feeding process. 84.6% would rate the experience of caring patient as satisfactory or more than satisfactory. 48.7% staff reported that they needed about 15 to 30 min to feed the patients in CHF, while 30.5% staff mentioned that they required 30 to 60 min to complete the feeding in CHF. 30% staff reported that their patients could eat more than 1/2 of the food provided during CHF. 44% staff described their patients could finish 1/4 of the food and 12% noted they ate very little in CHF. Conclusion: Most staff believed CHF can foster comfort care and satisfied with the program. CHF apparently required more time for staff to feed the patients. Amid Covid-19 pandemics, family members are unable to help in the feeding process during hospitalization. Sufficient nursing and supporting staff manpower with proper training is important for successful CHF program. In CHF, comfort, dignity, human interactions and intimacy take priority over the amount of food intake. However, having a wider variety of appealing food with suitable texture in hospitals could possibility improve the intake of patients on CHF.
