In 2006 1725 patients at the hospital in Nancy were exclusively given enteral feeding. Among those patients 200 prescriptions were analysed by a prospective and exhaustive way between April and June 20O6. Twenty-nine nurses'teams were audited. The practices nurses were compared with the recommendations of the Haute Autorité de santé (HAS).
Only 17%of the 671 drugs were liquids. Sixty-five percent of the drugs were pulverised or the capsule were opened. The galenic form was not in conformity for 33%of the drugs: because of the existence of a liquid, soluble or dispersible form (20%), or because of a prohibition to crushing tablet or opening of the capsule (5%). Among 101 drugs administred by 29 different teams: the administration were not inappropriate for 7%(crushing the anti-cancer drug without precaution, drugs that were dissolved while they should not have been…) The time between passage of the drug and the enteral nutrition were not respected for 11%of the drugs. The gloves were not worn in 52%of the observations and the mask in 76%. The drugs were managed in mixture for 93%of the observations. No rinsing was made after drugs administration in 27%of the cases, never between consecutive administrations and seldom before administration.
This study shows: 1) that it is possible to facilitate the administration of the drugs by prescribing liquid forms, soluble or dispersibles (possible for 57%of the treatments but was used only in 34%of the drugs); 2) it puts forward the lack of protocols of administration and the need for a cooperation with the pharmacists in order to control and to adapt the galenic forms.