title: Drug administration through an enteral feeding tube.
abstract: Guidelines for the safe administration of drugs through an enteral feeding tube are available, but research shows that often nurses don't adhere to them. This can lead to medication error and tube obstruction, reduced drug effectiveness, and an increased risk of toxicity. This article describes the factors to consider before administering a drug through a feeding tube, examines the gap between recommended and common practice, and discusses what the most recent guidelines recommend and why.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, and Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA. boullata@nursing.upenn.edu
authors.forename: Joseph I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Boullata
mesh_terms: D004333:Drug Administration Routes; D004358:Drug Therapy / Q000379:methods / Q000451:nursing*; D004750:Enteral Nutrition; D006801:Humans; D007441:Intubation, Gastrointestinal; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D010599:Pharmacokinetics; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations