Hospital and Nursing - Feeding of patients

Feeding of patients.

Preparing and serving of patient

Meals should be accurately prepared , according to the requirements of the individual patient and his disease. Great care should be taken and be kept away from the patient to avoid spilling.

Meals should be attractively served. The plate should be clean on both surfaces. A nicely prepared, well cooked food improves appetite.

The patient must be placed in the most suitable position and the plate is conveniently placed. A towel must be placed around his neck so that it gives maximum protection to the patient and bedclothes. Hot food should be given if permitted.

Spoon feeding

This is often used for the feeding of children and patients who cannot feed themselves. The spoon should be of suitable size and time should be allowed for the mastication.

The nurse should appear unhurried. It is usual for the nurse to stand on the right side of the patient but exceptions occur.

Help the patient to take their feeds who are unable to feed themselves and everything possible must be done to alleviate the feeling of helplessness.

Children with harelips and cleft palate are mostly spoon fed; sometimes a special spoon is used and after operation, a sterile spoon is used.

The child should be well supported and the spoon placed well to the back of the mouth. After operations for harelip or cleft palate, great care should be taken to prevent the spoon from touching the suture lines.

Feeding with a feeding cup

The feeder (feeding cup) must be perfectly clean, especially the spout and under the over hanging half-lid. It should be placed on a saucer with a spoon, and carried to the bed side on a tray which is covered with a tray cloth.

Spread a towel around the patient' s neck. The feed should not be too hot. The nurse' s left arm should be placed under the pillow to raise the patient' s head and the spout of the feeder placed between his lips.

The patient should be taught to place his tongue over the spout tip when requiring a rest, or to make a sign to the nurse.

In some instances, feeding is made more easy if a piece of rubber tubing is attached to the spout of the feeder, this should be carefully washed and boiled at least once daily.

In some cases both feeder and rubber spout are boiled before and after each feed. A special brush is provided for the cleaning of spouted feeders.

At the end of the meal, the patient' s mouth should be dried, in some cases the mouth may require cleaning before and after the meal.