Help Provide Critical G-Tube Education and Decease Anxiety
​ for Parents and Children 

Imagine having a child who cannot eat food by mouth, or a child who can eat food but does not get the proper nutrition. The inability to eat can occur for many reasons including birth defects, traumatic brain injuries, physical abnormalities, or a general diagnosis of “failure to thrive.”

If a child cannot eat enough nutrients, their doctor may place a Gastrostomy Tube, also called a G-tube, into their stomach. A G-tube is a small flexible tube inserted through the skin into the stomach and secured in place with sutures. These tubes can save children’s lives. However, they can be hard to manage and often have complications – they can leak, get infected, fall out, or become clogged. As many as 83% of children with G-tubes may experience complications.

One way to help prevent complications is to follow discharge instructions using a variety of educational tools. Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford currently provides hands-on training and written material, but studies show that videos are a critical component of patient education. Videos are engaging, can be viewed multiple times - especially in emergencies - and can be translated into many languages.  The g-tube videos will:

• Decrease parent and child anxiety when faced with complications related to the child's gastrostomy tube
• Decrease the number of patients readmitted to the hospital due to G-tube complications
• Provide a standardized educational experience
• Decrease clinic time related to educational visits
• Be produced in multiple languages and a variety of formats
• Shared with the community

We hope you will consider a generous donation to this important project!

Thank you!