Update on the Gastrostomy Tube Education Program

Report Prepared for the San Jose Auxiliary

February 2024


San Jose Auxiliary members and friends, your steadfast support of children's health is changing lives.

Over the years, your advocacy and commitment have provided invaluable resources for innovative projects across Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford. Last year witnessed your Auxiliary's most successful annual campaign to date, and we are deeply grateful for your enduring support.

From launching a comprehensive letter-writing campaign, to conducting outreach, to leveraging personal and professional networks to raise awareness, your selfless efforts in 2023 have ensured Jenny Shaffer, DNP, and her team have the resources needed to produce an engaging and effective Gastrostomy Tube Education program.

With gratitude for your partnership and deep dedication to children, we are pleased to share this update on how your generosity is making a difference.


Providing a Trusted Resource for Families

When kids have medical challenges that make it difficult to get enough nutrition by mouth, they often receive a gastrostomy tube (G-tube) that is inserted directly into the stomach. Because of this life-saving intervention, parents can be reassured that their children are receiving the calories and hydration they need to thrive. In many cases, a G-tube allows kids to return to just being a kid at school and home.

While families are provided with basic information on caring for their child's G-tube, many face anxiety and uncertainty after they leave the doctor's office, especially when unexpected situations arise. The online resources for G-tube care are also not well regulated, which means parents may receive different information depending on the source.

Thanks to your support, Dr. Shaffer and her team have made tremendous progress on developing a video series that will be available online as a trusted, reliable source of information on G-tube care.

child reading book


Evaluating Existing G-Tube Education

Leveraging the resources provided by your gift, Dr. Shaffer first engaged a graduate student, Jennifer Romero, to perform in-depth research and surveys about the standards of G-tube care across pediatric medicine.

Romero reviewed regulatory findings to identify gaps and surveyed nurses, physicians, and specialists throughout Packard Children's. She also shadowed inpatient nurses in clinic to assess what information is currently provided to families who manage G-tubes.

Overall, Romero's deep dive into G-tube care revealed many exciting opportunities to improve patient and family experiences.

Jennifer Romero


Developing the Video Series

Building on Romero's findings, Dr. Shaffer and colleagues developed a project plan for a comprehensive video series. They convened a summit with families and the patient education team at Packard Children's to ensure that the content would be useful and appropriate for caregivers to reference at home.

The feedback provided by the patient summit proved invaluable in shaping the video series. Based on the information shared by families, Dr. Shaffer's team developed a video outline and script that has been reviewed by clinical teams across surgery, radiology, and gastroenterology at Packard Children's.

The family feedback also led the team to select a hybrid style of video, in which both graphics and live videos are combined to make an effective presentation. The graphics style will allow for a broader audience, as some of the content could be challenging to watch for some viewers. However, certain procedures have nuances that can only be shown using live demonstrations, so specific videos will involve live shots, as well.


The series will be divided into two parts, each of which will include eight videos. Click on the boxes below to view the video topics.


Next Steps


The first four videos are currently being finalized, with the goal of testing them on patient audiences in early 2024. Following that initial feedback, the team plans to finish the series by the end of the year.

Once complete, the videos will be posted online and rolled out across Packard Children's so that clinicians can share them with patient families. The unique blended approach of graphic and live shots will also have broad appeal, so the team plans on exploring ways to share the videos with other clinics and patient communities throughout the Bay Area and beyond.

Now that Dr. Shaffer and her team have developed a process for getting consensus among medical experts in different specialties—and for creating videos—it will also be much easier to produce similar videos to help educate and reassure patient families who provide care for their children at home.

two babies and woman sitting on sofa while holding baby and watching on tablet


“This project would not be possible without the generous support of the San Jose Auxiliary. We have discovered so many ways to improve our patient experiences, and we can't wait to see the impact of this video series.” 

Jenny Shaffer, DNP

Manager, Office of Patient/Family Education and Health Literacy


Thank you, San Jose Auxiliary members and friends!

Your commitment has made a powerful impact on the Gastrostomy Tube Education project. Thanks to you, families will have more resources available to help care for their child's G-tube, empowering them to address many problems at home rather than take their child to the emergency room.

We are truly grateful for your continued partnership and look forward to sharing updates with you in the future.


For more information, contact:
Jeanne Berube
Senior Director, Auxiliaries Relations
(650) 461-9846; Jeanne.Berube@lpfch.org