Authors: Chen-Ju Chen, Huan-Fang Lee, Yu-Chiung Fang, Ai-Wen Kao.
Background: Medication administration via enteral feeding tube (EFT) is complex and prone to errors. To reduce these risks, guidelines for the safe administration of medication via EFT have been available for many years.
Objective: To improve medication administration via EFT in a Gastroenterology wards in the medical center of south Taiwan.
Method: An education program was providing to improve medication administration via EFT. The assessment was used to evaluate the practice of nurse staff before and after education program.
Interventions: Implemented interventions included: (1) developing a protocol for nurses about the techniques of administration of enteral feeding tube medication; (2) providing tabletop displays for doctors about the best practices for prescribing for patients with enteral feeding tubes; (3) developing a standard procedure for administering Nexium® through nasogastric tubes; (4) updating patient-education pamphlets about EFT; and (5) enhancing the quality of nurse auditing of enteral feeding tube and medication-administration techniques.
Results: A total of 24 nurses was participated and complete the baseline questionnaire. Paralleling the improved awareness of correct EFT drug delivery procedures among nurses, the ordinary drug delivery error rate fell from 60.83% to 2.42%. The Special drug error rate similarly fell from 65.28% to 1.33 %.
Conclusion: This project involved a multidisciplinary team of physicians, nurses, and pharmacists who developed standard protocols for EFT and specific medication administration recommendations for EFT, revised nursing practice standards, and greatly improved to overall medication administration process in patient with EFT.
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