GT Site Care and Head-of-Bed Elevation Not Provided as Ordered
Summary
The facility failed to provide ordered gastrostomy tube (GT) site care for one resident. The resident had a GT, diagnoses including diabetes mellitus and diverticulosis, and a care plan that required GT site care as ordered because of dysphagia. The physician’s order directed licensed staff to cleanse the GT stoma with normal saline, pat dry, cover with a T-drain sponge, and secure it with tape every day and as needed if soiled or dislodged. During a concurrent observation, the resident was lying in bed with the GT site dressing loose and not secured with tape on the abdomen. The Infection Prevention Nurse stated the dressing should be changed every day and as necessary to prevent skin irritation around the site and to tape the dressing to secure it and prevent accidental pulling during bed mobility. The DON stated the GT site dressing should be changed as needed to keep the GT site clean and dry to prevent infection. The facility policy titled Feeding Tube-Site Care stated that the site of a well-established enteral feeding tube should be inspected daily for signs and symptoms of irritation, gastric leakage, or infection, and that a gauze drainage sponge should be placed around the site for irritation, drainage, or leakage. The facility also failed to keep another resident’s head of bed elevated while continuous GT feeding was running. That resident had diagnoses including encounter for attention to gastrostomy and COPD, was severely cognitively impaired, and was dependent on staff for several activities of daily living. The order summary and care plan required the head of bed to be elevated 30 to 45 degrees during feeding and for one hour after feeding stopped. During observation, the resident was lying flat in bed while connected to ongoing GT feeding, and the LVN stated the head of bed was not elevated to 30 to 45 degrees. The LVN and DON both stated the head of bed should have been elevated during GT feeding.
Penalty
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