Factors Associated With Length Of Stay And Death In Tube-Fed Patients: A Cross-Sectional Multicentre Study

Objectives To analyse the factors associated with length of stay (LOS) and death in nasogastric/nasoenteric tube (NG/NET)-fed patients.Design A cross-sectional multicentre study.Method Data collection took place from October 2017-April 2019, and the sample consisted of 365 participants from seven Brazilian hospitals. Demographic, clinical and therapeutic data were collected from the patients' medical records. Data analysis was performed using bivariate and multivariate tests, considering a significance level of p<.05.Results Most patients were male, older adults, with high risk of death and highly dependent on nursing care. The LOS was associated with age, patient care complexity and length of NG/NET use. Death was associated with patient age. In the multivariate analysis, patients highly dependent on nursing care, and intensive and semi-intensive care had a greater chance of dying when compared with patients receiving minimal care. Screening for factors affecting LOS and death is important to plan effective nursing care.