Improvement Of Drugs Prescription And Administration Through Enteral Feeding Tubes During Hospitalization And Before Discharge To Home

Objectives. - Assessing both drug prescription and administration through enteral feeding tubes in order to optimize practices in hospital and at discharge.Materials and methods. - The study aimed to evaluate prescriptions and administration through enteral feeding tubes in an ENT unit, neurological department and a neurosurgical intensive care unit. After a first study, nursing staff training was made and functional tools created. Pharmaceutical interviews were organized in ENT in patients with gastrostomy: drugs intake planning and administration procedure were given. This study was repeated in 2015 and patients and district nurses satisfaction was also evaluated.Results. - Eleven percent of the prescribed medications were not suitable with enteral administration (modified-release tablets in 44.0% of cases). Prescription of unsuitable drugs was significantly reduced in 2015: 11.5% (n = 218 lines of prescription, 25 patients) vs. 4.5% (n-= 269 lines of prescription, 27 patients); P < 0.01. It concerned mostly modified-release drugs: 44.0% in 2013 and 25.0% in 2015 (P< 10 -5 ). Liquids formulations were more prescribed in 2015: 25.7% vs. 16.5% in 2013 (P < 0.05). Feeding tube rinsing before drugs administration was never performed in 2013 and carried out by up to 75.0% of nurses in 2015. Nineteen pharmaceutical interviews were realized, leading to 35 pharmaceutical interventions to adjust galenics. All patients and district nurses found the documents informative and useful.Conclusion. -This survey was useful to improve nurses and physicians practices. Pharmaceutical interviews were useful to improve the information given to patients and the communication at discharge. (C) 2018 Association pour le developpement de la recherche en nutrition (ADREN). Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.