Failure to Provide Appropriate Care for Residents with Feeding Tubes
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that residents with enteral feeding tubes received appropriate treatment and services to prevent potential complications, as evidenced by multiple deficiencies in labeling, dating, and verifying feeding tube placement. For one resident with diagnoses including high blood pressure, dementia, and diabetes, the enteral feeding bag in use was observed to be outdated and not properly labeled with the resident's name or the formula, and the water bag for flushes was not dated. Staff interviews confirmed that feeding and flush bags should be changed daily and properly labeled, but this was not done. Another resident with a history of stroke and difficulty swallowing had a care plan requiring verification of feeding tube placement before medication administration. However, during observation, an LPN failed to check the tube's placement prior to administering medication, a lapse confirmed by the DON. A third resident with Alzheimer's disease and muscle weakness was also observed receiving enteral feeding from an unlabeled bag, with staff confirming the lack of labeling. The DON acknowledged that the facility did not provide appropriate treatment and services for these residents, as required by policy and physician orders.