Methods Used By Critical Care Nurses To Verify Feeding Tube Placement In Clinical Practice

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.

Publication Date

1-1-2015

Publication Title

Critical Care Nurse

Volume

35

Issue

1

Number of Pages

e1-e7

Document Type

Article

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.4037/ccn2015984

Socpus ID

84930323596 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/84930323596

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