Sumping's Up: A Multidisciplinary Educational Initiative on Gastric Drainage Tubes

Background: Nasogastric tube placement is widely taught, and tube maintenance relies on astute nursing care with adherence to both institutional and evidence-based recommendations. However, precise adherence to current recommendations relies on knowledge base regarding the identification of malfunctioning gastric drainage tubes. Troubleshooting skills are crucial in maintaining patient safety and recognizing malfunction. Method: Educational sessions on nasogastric and orogastric decompression tube management, led by a surgical intensive care fellow at a level 1 trauma center, were offered to critical care nurses. A presession and postsession survey evaluated the nurses' subjective and objective knowledge and comfort with naso/orogastric decompression tube management. Results: Ninety-seven critical care RNs participated. For all questions, the proportion of correct answers significantly increased from presession survey to postsession survey (p<.001). Ninety-seven percent of all participants found the session to be very helpful. Conclusion: Physician-led educational sessions on naso/orogastric decompression tube management were well-received and improved subjective and objective measurements of nurses' knowledge and comfort level with gastric decompression tubes.