Improper Management and Labeling of Enteral Feeding Setup
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure proper administration and management of enteral feeding for a resident receiving gastrostomy tube feedings. During observation, the resident summoned the surveyor and pointed to his gastrostomy feeding setup, which was hanging on an IV pole with the feeding tubing not connected to the feeding pump and the clamps on the tubing left open. The feeding container was not labeled with the resident’s name or the date and time it was hung. When interviewed in the room, the DON acknowledged that the feeding should not be running in that manner, stated that the tubing should be connected to the pump, and reported that the day-shift nurse did not know how to connect the tubing to the feeding pump, adding that nurses are expected to ask the DON for assistance if they do not know how to use the equipment. A RN also confirmed that the feeding container should be labeled with the resident’s name and the date and time the feeding was started, and that the tubing should be connected to the feeding pump to ensure the correct hourly amount is administered. The facility’s gastrostomy tube feeding and care policy, revised 8/3/20, states that cyclic feedings are a prescribed amount of formula volume given over a specific period of time by an enteral feeding pump, and that the feeding container should be labeled with the resident’s name, flow rate, and the date and time it was hung. The observed failure to connect the tubing to the pump, to close the clamps, and to label the feeding container as required by policy led to the identified deficiency for this resident receiving enteral nutrition.
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