Paediatric ONS Blends Acceptability (including gastrointestinal tolerance, compliance and palatability) of a paediatric oral nutritional supplement containing food blends.

Gastrointestinal tolerance describes the ability of the digestive system, including the stomach, small intestine and large intestine to function smoothly, accept and process food comfortably and absorb nutrients from food or formula without causing discomfort or adverse reactions. There are several factors that can affect the tolerance of the digestive system. These include structural abnormalities or malabsorption issues, caused by any of the following conditions: short bowel syndrome? intractable malabsorption? preoperative preparation of undernourished patients? inflammatory bowel disease? total gastrectomy? dysphagia? bowel fistulae? feeding intolerances, developmental disabilities and disease related malnutrition. Patients with gastrointestinal tolerance problems require nutritional support strategies such as bolus tubes feed. This is because they can significantly impact an individual’s ability to consume adequate nutrition. This study is a single arm, prospective, multi-centre study that will include twenty five(25) participants (children only) who require oral tube feed with food blend for their dietary management. Compleat blends that were developed by Nestle Health Science will be used. The study will evaluate the gastrointestinal tolerance and compliance of the oral tube feed over a period of 28 days. Participants will receive oral tube feed alongside or instead of their usual feed or home-made blended diet. Participants will be asked to complete a daily diary and a short questionnaire to record information. The recruitment period will be 12 months.