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Gastrostomy Tube Complications And Management, Deborah J. Garcia

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

The avoidable complications of clogging and dislodgement of gastrostomy tubes (g-tubes) place a tremendous burden on patients, caregivers, healthcare providers, and the entire medical system. These complications are associated with $130 million in healthcare utilization each year. Insufficient education of patients and personal caregivers regarding the prevention of complications of clogging and dislodgement of g-tubes is identified as a major barrier. Preintervention and postintervention education program models were established, which include a preprocedure clinic visit with education as well as scheduled follow-up phone calls. A chart review and follow-up phone call was used to evaluate the effect of providing consistent …