Asante prepares for standardized enteral system connector

To prevent medical errors and further enhance patient safety, Asante will be switching to a new feeding tube connector.

Beginning in 2023 (date to be determined), our hospitals will begin using devices equipped with the standardized threaded ENFit connector for all enteral feeding tubes, administration sets, syringes and any other connection point for the enteral route.

Why use ENFit?

ENFit is compatible only with enteral feeding products and not other connector types such as Luer Lock, so it eliminates the risk of administering enteral solutions via the IV route and vice-versa.

To help prevent harmful wrong-route med errors and accidental disconnections, the United States in 2016 adopted the International Organization of Standardization (ISO) standard requiring the use of ENFit connectors on enteral feeding tubes, administration sets, connectors and syringes.

Since then, all manufacturers of enteral feeding supplies have been converting enteral feeding products to use ENFit connectors exclusively. Some manufacturers have already made this transition and require the use of a transition adapter from ENFit to legacy connections, which are currently in use at Asante. Eventually, legacy connector types will no longer be manufactured and all enteral feeding-related supplies will use the ENFit connector exclusively.

Who is involved and impacted?

The transition to ENFit will affect every clinical and clinical-support setting across Asante and the larger community that is involved with enteral feeding tubes. This includes placement of feeding tubes, administration of anything through an enteral feeding tube, or preparation of contents for enteral administration.

Within Asante, Medication Administration and Safety Committee chairs Rani Scranton, PharmD, and Boone Richardson, RN, are leading a project subgroup that will oversee the ENFit conversion, and will seek engagement from all stakeholders in the coming months.

When will this happen?

The transition to ENFit across the country is imminent, and many organizations within Oregon and the United States have already made this change. A systemwide conversion is expected to take place at Asante sometime in 2023.

The committee will share more details and timelines as this project proceeds.