105 The biopsychosocial impact of a nutrition follow-up program on families discharged from the neonatal intensive care unit with a nasogastric feeding tube

Abstract Background Infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) are often preterm or have complex medical conditions, requiring a prolonged hospitalization to achieve independent oral feeding. Home nasogastric tube feeding (NGTF) programs can facilitate earlier NICU discharge, reducing family stress and hospital resource utilization. To that end, our centre implemented a follow-up program for infant nutrition and home NGTF after discharge from the NICU. Characterizing the impact of this home NGTF program within a Canadian regional care centre on families is imperative. Objectives Our objective was to explore and compare the biopsychosocial impact on the families of infants discharged with or without home NGTF from the NICU. We compared caregiver readiness for a NICU discharge with or without home NGTF and the impact on their social, emotional, and physical functioning. Design/Methods A mixed-methods survey was administered to caregivers whose infants were discharged between June 2021-June 2024 with or without home NGTF. Conventional content analysis was used to identify the inductive codes and key themes experienced by families. Results Out of 76 eligible families, 55 completed the survey with 17/26 (65%) in the NGTF compared to 38/50 (76%) in the control group. Most caregivers felt prepared and ready at the time of discharge, irrespective of home NGTF (89%) or not (76%). Both NGTF and control groups shared similar perceptions regarding the negative impact on their social (76% vs 61%) and emotional (59% vs 47%) functioning at home and viewed their infant as medically fragile (65% vs 68%). However, the home NGTF group reported a more positive impact from caring for their infant at home (88% vs 66%) and less of a negative impact on physical functioning (29% vs 63%) than the control group. However, they expressed greater feelings of internalized stigma as a caregiver (24% vs 11%) and stress related to a prolonged NICU stay (65% vs 11%). Conclusion Our study is the first to identify and compare the impact of a home NGTF program on families in a Canadian regional care centre. The functional impact on this home NGTF program resulted in similar or even better biopsychosocial outcomes compared to infants discharged without home NGTF. However, addressing internalized stigma and stress related to a prolonged NICU stays are examples of areas identified to improve a structured discharge and follow-up program.