Background and aim. Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is a method of enteral nutrition. It is successfully used both in adults and children as well as in extremely low birth weight infants. The study aimed to assess the influence of gastrostomy (PEG) in children on life quality of their families. Materials and methods. The study involved a group of 87 persons: parents of children with percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG), including 71 women and 16 men aged between 23 and 53 years (mean =32.03; SD=6.12; min. 23, max. 53). Group 1 comprised parents of children before PEG and Group 2 comprised parents of children after PEG. The children were treated at the Surgery Department, the Children’s Memorial Health Institute in Warsaw. An anonymous, voluntary questionnaire study was performed between September 15, 2014 and February 27, 2015. STATISTICA 10.0, Mann-Whitney U test, and Wilcoxon test, α<0.05. Results. According to the opinion of 69 parents (79%), the quality of life increased after PEG insertion. A subjective assessment of the quality of family life before PEG amounted to 3.23 and after PEG it increased to 3.79 (p<0.001). As many as 75 study participants (85%) said that the patient's condition had significantly improved and 69 parents (78%) admitted that the nutritional status of their children had also improved. Nurses (n=59, 67%) and doctors (n=53, 60%) as well as other parents (n=29, 33%) constituted the main sources of knowledge about the disease and emotional support for parents of children with PEG. Conclusions The quality of children's lives and the functioning of their families after PEG insertion significantly improved among the study group. The PEG insertion in children also substantially improved the general condition of children and their nutritional status, which could have significantly improved the quality of family life. Parents’ knowledge about the disease, its symptoms and signs, course and prognosis as well as support given to the families constitute an important factor in providing care for children with PEG. Therefore, the educational role of a nurse seems to be crucial.

Key words: enteral nutrition, quality of life, family, child.