Objective To explore the lived experiences and needs of elderly pneumonia patients during enteral tube feeding,providing insights for optimizing comprehensive care in this population. Methods A descriptive qualitative study was conducted. Using purposive sampling,15 elderly pneumonia patients receiving enteral nutrition in the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine at Beijing Hospital from February 2025 to April 2025 were enrolled for semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was performed with NVivo 11.0 software. Results Interviews with 15 participants were completed. By mapping the enteral nutrition timeline as the horizontal axis and categorizing content into three dimensions(task-related,emotional,and pain points),25 themes were identified,including understanding necessity,risk perception,emotional venting,care support,and symptom management. These findings were synthesized to construct an experience journey map of enteral nutrition for elderly pneumonia patients. Conclusion The enteral nutrition support process for elderly patients with severe pneumonia is often prolonged,with a high incidence of feeding intolerance and significant individual variability. Using journey mapping,the needs of patients during tube feeding can be elaborated in detail. For instance,the lack of meticulous observation during the adjustment and optimization phase may lead to failure in early identification of enteral nutrition intolerance,thereby posing greater challenges in symptom management. To address this issue,it is essential to strengthen shift-based risk assessments and symptom monitoring to reduce the risk of worsening enteral nutrition intolerance symptoms. Furthermore,peer interaction and role dynamics directly influence patient experience,particularly highlighting the need to emphasize the quality of post-discharge care provided by family members. Additionally,exploring suitable remote continuity-of-care models for elderly patients with severe pneumonia is crucial.