Which of the following is a best practice recommendation in enteral nutrition (EN) formula safety?

• A. Mix or reconstitute enteral formulations at the bedside.
• B. Change the enteral feeding administration set every 24 hours with open systems.
• C. Limit hang time of closed-system EN formulas to no more than 12 hours.
• D. Store powdered formulas reconstituted in advance at room temperature for up to 24 hours.

Answer: (B)

Preventing contamination is the key. For open enteral feeding systems, the administration set is exposed to the environment and formula, so changing that set every 24 hours minimizes bacterial growth and infection risk. The other options raise contamination risk or contradict safe storage and hang-time practices: mixing or reconstituting at the bedside increases handling and exposure; reconstituted formulas should be refrigerated and used within a limited window rather than kept at room temperature for 24 hours; and hang times for closed systems are not restricted to 12 hours. Therefore, updating the administration set every 24 hours for open systems best supports EN safety.