It is an honor and a pleasure to see my name in print, in an article for Today's Dietitian magazine titled "PEG Tube Feeding at the End of Life-When It's Appropriate, When It's Not". The article outlines situations where PEG tube feeding is appropriate and those where it might not be indicated based on evidence-based guidelines. It is clear that some patients and/or their surrogates desire tube feeding even if a medical professional does not believe that it is in the patient's best interests. This article brings some clarity to this topic for medical practitioners. As the article states, it is the job of medical professionals to help patients undertand the risk/benefit of tube feeding and assist them in making the best decision for their loved-one. In some cases, families will make a choice that the medical professional doesn't agree with.
The topic of end-of-life nutrition care is not going to go away. In fact, I predict that over the next few years there will be a major focus on the risk/benefit/costs of all types of end-of-life medical interventions. The discourse between those who believe in life at all costs and those who believe in fewer medical interventions will most likely become louder and more contentious. Stay tuned!
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