Feeding

Feeding is a very important skill in nursing. Make sure you do these things with all patients.

1) Make sure the client is facing and mid line to the food

2) Do not tower over the patient for it is intimidating and makes them feel uncomfortable/violated.

3) Try to make the patient as independent as they can by getting them to feed themselves. It makes them develop confidence and feel empowered.

4) Tell the patient everything that your gonna do,

"now I'm going to raise the spoon to your mouth"
"please open your mouth, I will place the spoon inside your mouth"
"now please close your mouth and I will remove the spoon, alright"

5) Please do not continuously shove food in their mouth. You laugh now, but it is something that has happened time and time again in the work place. It is considered abuse and shall not be dealt with lightly as you greatly endanger the lives of those you treat with the possibility of choking, aspiration of foreign objects, pneumonia and infection. All of which can lead to death.

6) Patients are scared and vulnerable they will not complain and when faced with such abuse in fear that they will be left for dead as health care providers hold a lot of power (I am serious). You are playing with life and death in a matter such as this.

Overall. Get someone to feed you with your eyes blindfolded and you will feel how a patient feels when they are being fed. They feel uncomfortable, scared and timid. Understand their position and be patient.