Clinician insights into pediatric temporary feeding tube management: Unseen barriers, unclear roles revealed from a prospective mixed methods study

BACKGROUND: Temporary feeding tubes are common in pediatric healthcare, but research on understanding how clinicians manage their use and understand the impact on families is limited. Existing research often overlooks clinician perspectives despite tensions between clinical priorities and family needs. This study aimed to understand clinicians' insights into temporary pediatric feeding tube management, focusing on communication, decision-making, and family-centered practice. METHODS: Using a mixed-methods design, this study integrated quantitative survey data from multidisciplinary clinicians at a leading teaching hospital with qualitative insights from in-depth interviews. Analysis involved descriptive statistics for survey data and reflexive thematic analysis for interviews, as well as a comprehensive synthesis of data. RESULTS: Survey data from 112 multidisciplinary clinicians (54% response rate) and interviews with 12 clinicians revealed tensions between clinical intentions and available resources. Qualitative themes highlighted role ambiguity across disciplines, multilevel systemic barriers, an expanding awareness of comprehensive family burdens, and how clinician perceptions can potentially shape family experiences with temporary feeding tubes. These findings underscore the complexities of navigating temporary feeding tube management within the existing healthcare system. CONCLUSION: This study describes how clinicians navigate temporary feeding tube management within complex healthcare environments, drawing on collaborative expertise while working with limited standardized guidance. Findings reveal evidence-practice gaps, role ambiguities, and system constraints that limit clinicians' ability to provide family-centered care. Addressing these challenges necessitates structured tools, training, and systemic reform to better support clinicians in delivering family-centered management.