Failure to Follow Enhanced Barrier Precautions During Enteral Feeding
Penalty
Summary
A deficiency was identified when a nurse failed to follow the facility's infection prevention and control policies regarding Enhanced Barrier Precautions (EBP) during the care of a resident with an enteral feeding tube. The facility's policies require the use of both gown and gloves during high-contact activities such as enteral feeding or medication administration via a feeding tube. During an observed medication and feeding administration, the nurse donned gloves but did not wear a gown as required by the EBP protocol. The resident involved had significant medical conditions, including paraplegia, aphasia, a history of traumatic brain injury, and required enteral feeding through a gastrostomy tube. The resident's care plan and physician orders indicated the need for EBP. The nurse later confirmed that she did not wear a gown during the procedure and attributed this to the absence of a PPE cart at the resident's door and forgetting the requirement. The Director of Nursing confirmed that the expectation was for staff to use both gown and gloves for any procedures involving the enteral feeding tube.