The nurse prepares the patient for discharge to home with instructions to self-administer nasointestinal tube feedings.Which does the nurse include in patient teaching?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Tube feedings infused into the stomach or intestines bypass food warming that takes place as food passes through the mouth and esophagus; thus the nurse instructs the patient to infuse the formula at room temperature to avoid abdominal cramping.The patient should report diarrhea or constipation to the healthcare provider before implementing additional fluids since these may be indications of other complications of tube feedings.Flushing with 500 mL of water after each tube feeding is probably excessive and risks causing fluid volume overload in the patient.Because nasointestinal feedings generally infuse continuously,the nurse instructs the patient to replace the feeding bag and tubing every 24 hours and flush the tubing before and after each new infusion.The nurse instructs the patient to infuse the same can of formula for up to 8 hours without adding formula over the infusion period.

The Nurse Prepares the Patient for Discharge to Home with Instructions