Help me Understand Enteral Feeding!!

[riley3090]

i hope this isn't considered solicitation, but i am trying to get information for my job. i work in clinical applications and my client is developing a product to measure feeding tolerance. my job is to find out more about the market on enteral feeding and getting resisduals. i really want to find out how different things are done around the country - and maybe this thread will be informative for others too!! if anyone could help i need to answer the following:

- what type of patient 'groups' are on enteral feeding?

- how many patients are on enteral feeding at any given time in your facility?

- how many of them are regularly checked for residual volumes?

- where are they located?

- who takes care of them?

- who is interested in how much nutrition the patient receives?

- who writes the orders for the feeding regime and grv's? is there more than one person who can/does?

- what percentageare on continuous feeding versus bolus?

- what percentage have a nasogastric tube versus a g-tube?

- what methods are used to determine if the patient is emptying enteral formula?

- is there a critical time frame that you measure this?

i. after certain procedures?

ii. how often - i.e. over how many hours, days, after certain situations, etc.

- what is the daily routine of each type of enteral fed patient? hydration, nutrition, residual check...?

- if a device was available that could read a sample of the stomach contents at bedside what would you want it to tell you?

- how would you apply the use of such a product?

how often would you use it? thanks to anyone who can help!!