Nasogastric tube feeding is an essential way of delivering enteral nutrition when the oral route is insufficient or unsafe. Malnutrition is recognised as a reversible factor for sarcopenia and frailty. It is therefore crucial that malnutrition is treated in older
inpatients who have dysphagia and require enteral nutrition. Despite five National Patient Safety Alerts since 2005, “Never Events”
related to nasogastric feeding persist. In addition to placement errors, current practice often leads to delays in feeding, which
subsequently result in worse patient outcomes. It is crucial that tube placement is confirmed accurately and in a timely way.
Medical advancements in this area have been slow to find a solution which meets this need. In this paper, we provide an updated
review on the current use of feeding nasogastric tubes in the older population, the issues associated with confirming correct
placement, and innovative solutions for improving safety and outcomes in older patients.v