Clinical guidance for the use of nasogastric tube feeding under restraint in eating disorders care: a systematic scoping review

AI Summary

NGT feeding under restraint should be used minimally as a lifesaving intervention, adhering to the legal principle of least restrictive practice.
No comprehensive multidisciplinary guidelines or frameworks were identified to guide clinical implementation and decision making.
Further research is urgently needed on risk factors, short and long term harms, outcomes, and care processes to inform multidisciplinary guidance.

J Eat Disord. 2026 May 18. doi: 10.1186/s40337-026-01568-z. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Persistent dietary restriction can result in people with eating disorders becoming so severely physically and mentally compromised that they are considered a risk to their own life. In these circumstances, individuals may be subjected to involuntary treatments, including nasogastric tube (NGT) feeding under restraint. This systematic scoping review identifies and assesses the evidence available to healthcare professionals to inform clinical practice decisions related to NGT feeding under restraint in eating disorder care, and highlights gaps in knowledge to be addressed in future research.

MAIN TEXT: Six electronic databases, six grey literature sites, 12 professional bodies, and four eating disorder conference websites were searched in May 2025. 36 sources met inclusion criteria, including: peer reviewed papers and practice guidelines. Peer-reviewed literature (22) included quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods research studies, and systematic reviews. Grey literature (14) included practice guidance in the form of expert opinion, expert consensus, and practice standards. A narrative review was structured using deductive analysis focused on the following research questions in relation to eating disorders care: (1) where and how is NGT feeding under restraint happening? (2) how are healthcare professionals making decisions about when and how to use NGT feeding under restraint? (3) what are patients, parents/carers, and healthcare professionals’ experiences of NGT feeding under restraint? And (4) what are the patient outcomes of NGT feeding under restraint?

CONCLUSIONS: There is clear guidance that NGT feeding under restraint should be delivered minimally, as a lifesaving intervention in line with the legal principle of ‘least restrictive practice’. No comprehensive, multi-disciplinary guidelines or frameworks were identified to support achieving this in practice. Further research is required to improve understanding of who is at risk of receiving NGT feeding under restraint, the long- and short-term risks associated with its use, and what care processes can improve patient outcomes. Future research should support development of multi-disciplinary guidance to improve clinical decision-making and patient outcomes.

PMID:42144661 | DOI:10.1186/s40337-026-01568-z

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