By: Brian Hennon
When I began working as a hospice educator, I had a very shallow understanding of healthcare overall. Just figuring out how my own health insurance worked was a struggle, but here I was, offering “expert” advice on end-of-life care. It took a lot of work, reading, observing, listening, and even a few mistakes, but I eventually became comfortable speaking plainly and openly about many things related to healthcare.
One of the mistakes I made very early on though, was discussing things I knew very little about with patients and families who were grasping for any measure of hope they could find. People in those situations tend to hear what they want to hear and one such instance happened in a local hospital room.
The patient was lying in the hospital bed. He had lost the ability to walk, talk, recognize his family, and eat. A family member asked me my opinion about a feeding tube and, and trying to sound like I was in-the-know, I said something like “many people have those.”
A few minutes went by and two physicians walked in the room. The patient’s family immediately said, “Brian said you could do a feeding tube.” The primary hospitalist looked at me and said, “well, if Brian had gone to medical school, he would know that feeding tubes aren’t always good options.
Since that day, almost a decade ago, I’ve learned several things. First, I’ve learned to be very careful what I say to families, grieving over a loved one whose health is deteriorating. Second, I’ve learned that many procedures, like feeding tubes, can be beneficial, but they can also be detrimental. While they may extend life, they don’t necessarily extend living.
Know the Numbers
7
Different types of feeding tubes.1
0
Studies that demonstrate improved quality of life with tube feeding. 2
0
Improvement in survival with tube feeding for patients with advanced cancer. 2
Know the Facts
Tube feeding can prolong life in very select circumstances. 2
Physicians overestimate the medical benefit of tube feeding. 3
Actively Dying Patients Do Not Experience Hunger or Thirst 2
Tube Feeding can increase the risk of infection, pressure ulcers, and aspiration pneumonia. 2
PEG tube feeding is of little benefit for most patients with a limited life span or with dementia. 4
Ask Your Provider the Right Questions
As noted above, studies show that Providers overestimate the medical benefits of tube feeding. Before agreeing to such a procedure, ask questions like:
Will this procedure improve my (or my loved one’s) quality of life?
What are the medical benefits to this procedure?
What are the risks of this procedure?
If this were you or your loved one, would you say yes to this procedure?
How often do people in my (or my loved one’s) condition recover and start eating normally?
Ask Yourself the Right Questions
Do I (or my loved one) want to live the rest of my (or their) life with a feeding tube?
Will a tube feed help me (or my loved one) recover from the primary disease?
Can my loved one eat by mouth if fed slowly?
Will a feeding tube cure the underlying disease?
Discuss with Loved Ones
How important is quality of life to you?
If you become incapacitated or unable to express your wishes, do you want your loved ones to agree to a feeding tube?
For more information, please head to https://www.hopefulhope.org/contact
**This article is for information purposes only. Always consult a trusted provider for a more in-depth conversation, before making any medical decisions.
References
1 St Judes Research Hospital. “Types of Feeding Tubes and Devices.” https://together.stjude.org/en-us/medical-care/clinical-nutrition/types-of-tubes-and-devices.html
2 Palliative Care Network of Wisconsin. (2025) “Tube Feed or Not Tube Feed.” https://www.mypcnow.org/fast-fact/tube-feed-or-not-tube
3 National Library of Medicine (2008). “Physicians' Expectations of Benefit from Tube Feeding.” https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2982717/
4 Annals of Long-Term Care (2013). “End-of-Life Nutrition: Is Tube Feeding the Solution?” https://www.hmpgloballearningnetwork.com/site/altc/content/nutrition-end-life-tube-feeding-solution
5 Investigate Midwest (2012). “Stomach Tubes to Feed Elderly Often Unnecessary, May Be Harmful.” https://investigatemidwest.org/2012/01/29/stomach-tubes-to-feed-elderly-often-unnecessary-may-be-harmful