"Force Feed"

Nurses Safety

Published

72 yo patient, 12 days post hemicolectomy, ileus 5 days post-op. Finally up and around, but p.o. intake poor. Patient weights 125#, so no reserve there. Also PSA 500+, so he definately has other issues!

Surgeon writes: Force Feed.

This patient is alert and oriented x 3, very able and competent to make decisions and understand his options. Just how are we to "force feed" this man? Does he really expect a nurse to sit at the bedside and nag until his plate is clean, or to force a syringe between clenched teeth to do the deed?

Even a feeding tube requires the patient's consent!

What do you think about force feeding?

:eek: :confused:

OMG............

The one thing that they are in control of........dying.........and they can't even do it with respect and dignity.......I thought force feeding or syringe feeding was long gone too, but we had one of our residents that was refusing to eat, and we had an order to syringe feed, I did refuse, and suffered no repercussion from it.......I then got Hospice in there and she passed away a week later........You could tell she was wanting to go, she was in there somewhere, making a decision to stop her suffering and get some rest, God help me if I ever get to that point.......God help us ALL!!!!!

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OMG............

The one thing that they are in control of........dying.........and they can't even do it with respect and dignity.......I thought force feeding or syringe feeding was long gone too, but we had one of our residents that was refusing to eat, and we had an order to syringe feed, I did refuse, and suffered no repercussion from it.......I then got Hospice in there and she passed away a week later........You could tell she was wanting to go, she was in there somewhere, making a decision to stop her suffering and get some rest, God help me if I ever get to that point.......God help us ALL!!!!!

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We have a surgeon who yells at the nurses if the patients don't eat as much as he thinks they should. One day he decided to show us how to feed a patient. After the patient told him several times he didn't want any more. he spit it in the doc's face. Really hard to keep from laughing. :roll:roll:roll Other times he caused the patient to aspirate, then blamed the nurses. :(

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We have a surgeon who yells at the nurses if the patients don't eat as much as he thinks they should. One day he decided to show us how to feed a patient. After the patient told him several times he didn't want any more. he spit it in the doc's face. Really hard to keep from laughing. :roll:roll:roll Other times he caused the patient to aspirate, then blamed the nurses. :(

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Back in the 70's when I was an aide, we "forced" our elderly patients to eat. I remember mixing pureed meat, potatoes and pureed veggies altogether with milk and butter. We would draw this concoction up into a bulb syringe and squirt it into their mouths. Thought it was barbaric then and certainly think it would be barbaric now. Absolutely hated the indignity of it all...besides I would wind up wearing half of it on my clothes and face as the patients gave me the razzberry.

Glad to see patients' rights have changed all this and this should be respected at all costs.

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Back in the 70's when I was an aide, we "forced" our elderly patients to eat. I remember mixing pureed meat, potatoes and pureed veggies altogether with milk and butter. We would draw this concoction up into a bulb syringe and squirt it into their mouths. Thought it was barbaric then and certainly think it would be barbaric now. Absolutely hated the indignity of it all...besides I would wind up wearing half of it on my clothes and face as the patients gave me the razzberry.

Glad to see patients' rights have changed all this and this should be respected at all costs.

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Force feeding isn't allowed in England. At work there are some Elderly people that need help with feeding, There is one lady that hardley eats anything and sometimes I am put on feeding. I just sit with her and encourage her to eat even if it ONLY A FEW MOUTHFULLS it is better then nothing.

At work we have feeding and Fluid charts do other work places use these. Just to mark down what and how much fluid and food the person eats. This is done on a daily basis even if it only a cup of tea and a biscuit.

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Force feeding isn't allowed in England. At work there are some Elderly people that need help with feeding, There is one lady that hardley eats anything and sometimes I am put on feeding. I just sit with her and encourage her to eat even if it ONLY A FEW MOUTHFULLS it is better then nothing.

At work we have feeding and Fluid charts do other work places use these. Just to mark down what and how much fluid and food the person eats. This is done on a daily basis even if it only a cup of tea and a biscuit.

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I've only seen one case where a doctor told a nurse to feed a patient against their wishes and the ward nurses refused so the doctor opted to feed her himself.

After one attempt and a fair covering of mash potato he decided it was her right to decide not to eat!!

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I've only seen one case where a doctor told a nurse to feed a patient against their wishes and the ward nurses refused so the doctor opted to feed her himself.

After one attempt and a fair covering of mash potato he decided it was her right to decide not to eat!!

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Specializes in Geriatrics/Oncology/Psych/College Health.

I think the doc may want to reconsider his choice of words:

"Encourage po intake."

I, too, remember doing the syringe thing with pureed foods "back in the day", nightmoon. If I had to do it over again, I wouldn't.

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Specializes in Geriatrics/Oncology/Psych/College Health.

I think the doc may want to reconsider his choice of words:

"Encourage po intake."

I, too, remember doing the syringe thing with pureed foods "back in the day", nightmoon. If I had to do it over again, I wouldn't.

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