Background
Since its introduction in the 1980s, reports show an increase in the placement of
gastrostomies in children, particularly in those with disabilities, due to its many benefits. To date,
little has been reported on the practices, perceptions and experiences of the health care practitioners
when engaging in the management of children with gastrostomies.
Research aims
This study aims to provide insight into the practices as well as the perceptions and
experiences of the health care practitioners working with gastrostomies in a paediatric setting.
Method
A qualitative interpretative design was used. Eighteen healthcare practitioners, who form
part of the multidisciplinary team working with paediatric gastrostomies, from one of the two
prominent tertiary institutions in Cape Town, South Africa were recruited for this study. Semi
structured interviews were conducted after which data analysis took place.
Results
Four themes emerged from the data collected; experience of better patient health evolving
post gastrostomy despite complications, health care practitioners’ perceived change to a family’s
quality of life, the gastrostomy process: just as you think it’s going right then something goes wrong; and experiencing multidisciplinary team work, and its influences on the management of
patients with gastrostomies.
Conclusion
The health care practitioners reflected on their practices, perceptions and experiences of
gastrostomy management as being a process. During the different stages of the process, they
engaged with the advantages and disadvantages the gastrostomy has on the health of a child; the
positive and negative influences on the quality of life for families and identified the importance of
but also the lacking in the provision of education and ongoing support for caregivers. An effective
multidisciplinary team is a requirement for the management of the gastrostomy; inadequacies
within the team contributed to undesirable service delivery and poor health outcomes for the child.
This study highlights the importance of and the need for the implementation of best practice
guidelines for gastrostomy decision-making, placement and management in the paediatric setting.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uct/oai:localhost:11427/30169 |
| Date | 17 May 2019 |
| Creators | Coetzee, Samantha Fae-Lee |
| Contributors | Singh, Shajila, Norman, Vivienne |
| Publisher | Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Master Thesis, Masters, MSc |
| Format | application/pdf |
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