Misplaced feeding tubes can lead to serious complications, including infections, organ damage, or even death. Despite these risks, many healthcare facilities still rely on outdated verification methods, such as auscultation. Pennsylvania is leading the charge toward safer practices, thanks to its unique statewide patient safety reporting system. Here’s what the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority (PSA) has uncovered—and why change is overdue.

The Patient Safety Authority (PSA) is an independent state agency that collects reports of patient safety events from Pennsylvania healthcare facilities. Pennsylvania is the only state that requires healthcare facilities to report all instances of harm (i.e., serious events) or potential for harm (i.e., incidents). PSA analyzes those reports to prevent recurrence—either by identifying trends unapparent to a single facility or flagging a single event that has a high likelihood of recurrence—and disseminates that information through multiple channels.

Conclusion:
Because “it’s always been done this way” is not a good reason for healthcare workers to continue using less reliable methods to confirm feeding tube placement. Implementing evidence-based methods will promote a safer environment of patient care.

Healthcare practices evolve—and so should the protocols that protect patients. The data is clear: Evidence-based methods for confirming feeding tube placement aren’t just best practice—they’re essential. For facilities looking to reduce risk and improve outcomes, the time to make that change is now.

Patient safety isn’t expensive; it’s priceless.

Want to see how your facility can implement safer, data-driven protocols? Schedule a free demo.