Study: feeding tubes may be overused.One-third of U.S. nursing home patients in the final stages of Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia are given feeding tubes unnecessarily, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. a study in the July issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association is an international peer-reviewed general medical journal, published 48 times per year by the American Medical Association. JAMA is the most widely circulated medical journal in the world. . Because people with advanced dementia are generally incapacitated in·ca·pac·i·tate tr.v. in·ca·pac·i·tat·ed, in·ca·pac·i·tat·ing, in·ca·pac·i·tates 1. To deprive of strength or ability; disable. 2. To make legally ineligible; disqualify. , have trouble swallowing and are near death, feeding tubes offer no benefit and may actually cause harm, according to the report. The study found that 63,000 out of 187,000 later-stage Alzheimer's and dementia patients examined--34 percent--had feeding tubes. The report suggests that some of these patients received the tubes because the practice is considered less costly and easier than spoon feeding, according to Dr. Susan Mitchell, assistant professor at Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is one of the graduate schools of Harvard University. It is a prestigious American medical school located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. , who conducted the study. |
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