This study is a preliminary study and needs to be followed up by several other studies to clarify the results obtained and to get more statistically relevant numbers for some of the parameters being measured. It is not significant enough on its own in many of its aspects to be taken as a guide. However, one aspect can be taken seriously and that is the need to correctly identify the placement of enteral tubes in children, because the misplacement rate of 21 percent is certainly not acceptable.
The study is certainly useful to nursing because it points out to nurses taking care of children how inaccurate the current method of measuring the length of enteral tubes for children is and how they need to assess their methods of ascertaining that the tube is correctly placed before feeding the child through the tube to avoid life-threatening complications from incorrectly placed tubes. If nurses are the ones placing the tubes, they need to know the effects of feeding children when the tube is incorrectly placed, how to recognize these effects in a timely manner, and to stop feeding the child as soon as any problem is noted and reposition the tube before further feeding is given. They need to know that under no circumstances should they continue feeding the child if they know the tube is not in the correct position. They should also know and use accurate methods for determining that a tube has been correctly positioned before feeding the child.
The authors do mention the significance of the problem they are researching - the misplacement of enteral tubes in children - and its significance several times in the paper. They quote its high occurrence which is between 20.9 percent and 40.5 percent,, a totally unacceptable figure considering how serious the consequences may be. The misplacement of enteral tubes in children is definitely a significant problem which should be resolved as soon as possible.
The problem being resea...