Failure to Immediately Notify Physician and Inappropriate Tube Replacement
Penalty
Summary
A facility failed to immediately notify a physician when a resident's jejunostomy tube (j-tube) became dislodged. The resident, who had a history of stroke, dysphagia, and was severely cognitively impaired, relied on the j-tube for nutrition and medication administration. On the day of the incident, a nurse aide observed a tube on the bathroom floor but did not report it to the nurse. Hours later, the assigned nurse discovered the j-tube was missing and, without contacting the physician, inserted an indwelling urinary catheter tube into the j-tube site, following advice from the wound nurse who was unaware it was a j-tube. There was no physician order for this action. The nurse was not aware that the tube was a j-tube rather than a gastrostomy tube and did not recognize the need for immediate hospital transfer or physician notification. The nurse only notified the DON after the replacement tube became dislodged a second time, at which point the DON instructed her to contact the provider and send the resident to the hospital. The resident was subsequently transferred to the hospital, where surgical intervention was required to replace the j-tube. Interviews with facility staff, including the nurse, nurse aide, wound nurse, DON, nurse practitioner, and medical director, confirmed that the nurse did not follow proper protocol for physician notification and tube replacement. The medical director and nurse practitioner both stated that it was inappropriate and unsafe for a nurse to replace a j-tube in the facility, especially without a physician's order, due to the risk of serious complications. Documentation review showed that the physician was not notified until after the second dislodgement and inappropriate tube replacement had occurred.
Removal Plan
- The DON, Assistant Director of Nursing (ADON), and Unit Managers re-educated Licensed Nurses and Nurse Aides (NA) on Resident Change in Condition Policy with emphasis on changes that require immediate physician notification and documentation.
- Nurse Aides were educated to notify the charge nurses if any devices, such as enteral feeding tubes, were displaced or not in resident at time of care.
- The Director of Nursing will track and verify that employees with scheduled time off, on leave of absence (FMLA), vacation, agency staff or PRN staff will be re-educated prior to returning to duty.
- New Licensed Nurses, Agency Nurses, and Nurse Aides will be educated by the DON or ADON during the orientation process.
- The Director of Nursing will review the Facility Activity Report for any Interact SBAR, Interact Nursing Home to Hospital Transfer Forms, or any Events in the morning Clinical Morning Meeting, which will be held seven days a week, to verify prompt and/or immediate notification is communicated to the Physician and/or Provider.
- If notification to the physician has not occurred, the DON will notify the physician at that time.