Delay in Enteral Feeding Administration
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to administer enteral tube feeding in accordance with a physician's order for a resident, resulting in a delay in receiving necessary nutrition and hydration. The resident, who was admitted following a severe accident that resulted in multiple bone fractures and a diffuse brain injury, required enteral feeding due to an altered nutritional state. Upon admission, orders were in place to administer Jevity 1.5 at a continuous rate of 60 ml per hour with a 25 ml water flush every hour. However, due to a delay in obtaining the necessary feeding pump, the resident did not receive the prescribed nutrition until 15 hours after admission. The Director of Nursing and the Registered Dietician reviewed the situation and confirmed that the supplies and formula were available as floor stock, but the facility was in the process of replacing their Kangaroo Pumps, which caused the delay. Despite the availability of the pump on the morning following admission, the nursing staff failed to document the administration of the feeding on the Medication Administration Record until two days later. The facility's policy on feeding tubes, which includes maintaining feeding tubes in accordance with clinical standards and using gravity flow if necessary, was not adhered to, leading to the deficiency.
Plan Of Correction
Element 1: Resident 906 no longer resides in the facility. Element 2: All current residents who are on tube feed have been audited to ensure tube feed is being administered appropriately as ordered. This was completed by the Director of Nursing / designee by 2/27/2025. Root Cause: Facility failed to ensure that tube feed orders were followed. Element 3: The Tube Feed policy was reviewed by the QAPI committee and deemed appropriate on 2/27/2025. The Director of Nursing / designee has re-educated all current licensed nurses on the Tube Feed policy by 3/6/2025. Any current licensed nurse not re-educated by 3/6/2025 will be re-educated prior to their next scheduled shift. Residents who admit to the facility with tube feed will be reviewed and assessed by the nurse at admission to ensure tube feed, pump, and other supplies are readily available. If not available at admission, DON and Medical Provider are to be notified for timely interventions to address resident's nutrition needs. Residents who admit to the facility with tube feed will be reviewed by the IDT team in clinical morning meeting daily, Monday through Friday, to ensure tube feed is administered timely and as ordered. Element 4: The Director of Nursing / designee will audit all admissions daily, Monday through Friday, to ensure that tube feed is being administered appropriately, orders are in place, care plan is updated, and tube feed administration is documented appropriately in the resident's record. Audits will be daily for 4 weeks then monthly thereafter until substantial compliance is achieved. The Director of Nursing / designee will audit all current residents receiving tube feed to ensure that tube feed is being administered appropriately, orders are in place, care plan is updated, and tube feed administration is documented appropriately in the resident’s records weekly. Audits will be weekly for 4 weeks then monthly thereafter until substantial compliance is achieved. The results of the audits will be reviewed by the QAPI committee for 3 months or until substantial compliance is met. The facility administrator is responsible for compliance.