Enteral nutrition at home: applicability of the nurse’s guidelines under the family’s perspective

Objective: to know the perception of the family members responsible for the care with individuals who use enteral nutrition, concerning the guidelines received from the nurse at the discharge from the hospital in relation to the care about it and its applicability at home. Methodology: this is about a descriptive study, from qualitative approach. The sample is composed by seven family members, identified by health professionals who work in Basic Health Units. The data were obtained through a semi-structured questionnaire with seven family members, and analyzed according to the principles of the content analysis. The project was approved by the Committee for Ethics in Research of UNIJUí (164/2009). Results: two analytical categories: one which approaches the nurse’s guidelines received by the family member who takes care of the patient at home, still at the hospital, regarding the care with the enteral nutrition, and another regarding the possibilities for application of that care at home. Conclusion: the guidelines given at the discharge from the hospital, offered by the nurse, happen in a fragmented way, without an individualized care plane, which may interfere with the care given to the patient in enteral nutrition.