Can a home health aide give a tubal feeding?
Can a home health aide (HHA) give a tubal feeding (or provide G-tube services) under a licensed home care aide organization?
A gastrostomy tube (also known as a G-tube) is an instrument for supplying nutrition and allowing the passage of liquid into or out of the stomach. Doctors implant a G-tube during a brief surgical procedure called a gastrostomy.
For a home health aide to assist with a G-tube feeding , it depends on the place in which you work. G-tube feedings (also known as tubal feedings) can be administered by HHA’s or family members, but for them to be done properly, registered nurses must be present and a written order from the attending physician must be issued.
Each state has its own independent board of nursing that establishes what’s allowable within the state to be delegated there. Even though a HHA can perform a tubal feeding doesn’t make it safe.
Patient deaths connected to aspiration have come from a simple thing like a certified nursing assistant (CNA) leaving the bed floor down and low, followed by feeding the food into the lungs instead of the stomach.
TO THE POINT
Most states allow the registered nurse (RN) to delegate to the home health aide the task of giving Gastrostomy tube feeding – but not all. Make sure you know the rules and follow up with the home health agency.
Other Duties a HHA Can and Cannot Do
The individual who provides a feeding tube service must be a licensed healthcare professional, or a family member may be trained to do exactly that and a home health agency may come in and assist the family caregiver in doing the training.
Administering an NG-tube are just a few of the services that must be performed by a licensed health care practitioner.
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What HHA’s CAN and CAN’T Do!
Download this brand new guide on what home health aides can and cannot do. The rules have changed so don’t get caught off guard. Know your limits and the law.
