Nasogastric tube audit: standard setting and review of specifications

This paper describes the procedure and outcome of an audit exercise designed to identify the equipment of choice from among the nasogastric (NG) tubes available on the UK market. In order to assess some of these in a systematic way, a working party of dietitians and nurses was established. Standards expected from a NG tube were set and agreed. These were then used to evaluate seven tubes to see which reached the agreed standard. This was not an exhaustive survey of all available tubes on the market, but a selection of those commonly available.
Among the seven tubes investigated, the Corslo®Merck tube was found to be the NG tube of choice in Oxfordshire. Future reassessments will be required as new NG tubes become available.