Objective:
To
monitor errors in
current practice and
prepare a manual for proper drug administration through the enteral feeding tube.
Method
s:
It is a pr
ospective observational study conducted for
a period of
6 mo
in eight departments. The
current
drug administrations were
monitored and checked for the errors which include
crushed non crushable solid dosage forms
, each drug is not prepared separately, inco
rrect
solution used for dilution, dr
ugs mixed with feeding formula, each drug is not administered separately, not flushed before administration of each
drug, not flushed after administration of each drug and others (
tablets are not crushed with proper device, motors and pestles are not cleaned
frequently, spillage during crushing)
. Using the data, a manual was prepared and submitted to the physicians of each department.
Result
s:
The
most prominent error was found to be that t
he drugs were not prepared and ad
ministered separately, tube not flushed b
efore drug
administration. Uses of noncrushable tablets were high
in neurology
. Pantoprazole
(ent
eric coated)
and prazosin
(modified release
) tablets were
the most commonly used noncrushable drug
s.
Conclusio
n:
Th
e study observed the need for developing a standard protocol for drug administration through enteral feeding tube by the
pharmacist along with
the
physician, nursing team to improve the quality of enteral therapy