Methods Used by Critical Care Nurses to Verify Feeding Tube Placement in Clinical Practice

    Authors

    A. M. Bourgault; J. Heath; V. Hooper; M. L. Sole;E. G. Nesmith

    Comments

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    Abbreviated Journal Title

    Crit. Care Nurse

    Keywords

    INADVERTENT RESPIRATORY PLACEMENT; ENTERAL NUTRITION; PH MEASUREMENTS; INSERTION; LOCATION; VERIFICATION; UNITS; Critical Care Medicine; Nursing

    Abstract

    BACKGROUND The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses practice alert on verification of feeding tube placement makes evidence-based practice recommendations to guide nursing management of adult patients with blindly inserted feeding tubes. Many bedside verification methods do not allow detection of improper positioning of a feeding tube within the gastrointestinal tract, thereby increasing aspiration risk. OBJECTIVES To determine how the expected practices from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses practice alert were implemented by critical care nurses. METHODS This study was part of a larger national, online survey that was completed by 370 critical care nurses. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. RESULTS Seventy-eight percent of nurses used a variety of methods to verify initial placement of feeding tubes, although 14% were unaware that tube position should be confirmed every 4 hours. Despite the inaccuracy of auscultation methods, only 12% of nurses avoided this practice all of the time. CONCLUSIONS Implementation of expected clinical practices from this guideline varied. Nurses are encouraged to implement expected practices from this evidence-based, peer reviewed practice alert to minimize risk for patient harm. (Critical Care Nurse. 2015; 35[ 1]: e1-e7)

    Journal Title

    Critical Care Nurse

    Volume

    35

    Issue/Number

    1

    Publication Date

    1-1-2015

    Document Type

    Article

    Language

    English

    First Page

    E1

    Last Page

    E7

    WOS Identifier

    WOS:000352624800001

    ISSN

    0279-5442

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