Introduction

Enteral and parenteral nutrition affects satisfaction of life, but over time it transpires that you can live with it, continue to grow, and enjoy life by accepting the situation.

Aim of the study

Evaluation of the impact of nutritional treatment to the satisfaction of the patient’s life.

Material and methods

The study was conducted at the Centre for Clinical Nutrition at the Regional Clinical Hospital in Lodz, among 100 patients fed via artificial and parenteral routes. The research method was a questionnaire of our own design and the scale of assessment of quality of life. The scale consists of five statements. Test subjects may receive a maximum of 35 points, thereby obtaining a high level of satisfaction with life.

Results

The results of this study indicate that more than half of the respondents have average (77%) and low levels of life satisfaction. The initial period of adaptation can be difficult and significantly affects the level of patient satisfaction, but with time the patient creates some distance, accepts the situation, and the process of feeding can be treated as something that saves his/her life, something he/she can endure without shame and stress.

Conclusions

Patients artificially nourished by the parenteral and enteral route show a general indicator of life satisfaction at the level of average. The highest positive correlation occurred between age, the length of nutrition (p < 0.001), and support (p < 0.001). Along with the increase of age, medical support, and the time of nutritional treatment, the respondents drew greater happiness and satisfaction from life.