Standards for Nutrition Support: Adult Hospitalized Patients

Lost in Transition: Insights from a Retrospective Chart Audit on Nutrition Care Practices for Older Australians with Malnutrition Transitioning from Hospital to Home

Care transitions from hospital to home for older adults with malnutrition present a period of elevated risk; however, minimal data exist describing the existing practice. This study aimed to describe the transition of nutrition care processes provided to older adults in a public tertiary hospital in Australia. A retrospective chart audit conducted between July and October 2022 included older (≥65 years), malnourished adults discharged to independent living. Dietetic care practices (from inpatient to six-months post-discharge) were reported descriptively. Of 3466 consecutive admissions, 345 (10%) had a diagnosis of malnutrition documented by the dietitian and were included in the analysis. The median number of dietetic visits per admission was 2.0 (IQR 1.0-4.0). Nutrition-focused discharge plans were inconsistently developed and documented. Only 10% of patients had nutrition care recommendations documented in the electronic discharge summary. Post-discharge oral nutrition supplementation was offered to 46% and accepted by 34% of the patients, while only 23% attended a follow-up appointment with dietetics within six months of hospital discharge. Most patients who are seen by dietitians and diagnosed with malnutrition appear lost in transition from hospital to home. Ongoing work is required to explore determinants of post-discharge nutrition care in this vulnerable population.

A Novel Machine-Learning Algorithm to Predict the Early Termination of Nutrition Support Team Follow-Up in Hospitalized Adults: A Retrospective Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

For hospitalized adults, it is important to initiate the early reintroduction of oral food in accordance with nutrition support team guidelines. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a machine learning-based algorithm that predicts the early termination of medical nutritional therapy (the transition to oral feeding).

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study included consecutive adult patients admitted to the Hacettepe hospital (from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2022). The outcome of the study was the prediction of an early transition to adequate oral feeding before discharge. The dataset was randomly (70/30) divided into training and test datasets. We used six ML algorithms with multiple features to construct prediction models. ML model performance was measured according to the accuracy, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, and F1 score. We used the Boruta Method to determine the important features and interpret the selected features.

RESULTS

A total of 2298 adult inpatients who were followed by a nutrition support team for medical nutritional therapy were included. Patients received parenteral nutrition (1471/2298, 64.01%), enteral nutrition (717/2298, 31.2%), or supplemental parenteral nutrition (110/2298, 4.79%). The median (interquartile range) Nutritional Risk Screening (NRS-2002) score was 5 (1). Six prediction algorithms were used, and the artificial neural network and elastic net models achieved the greatest area under the ROC in all outcomes (AUC = 0.770). Ranked by z-value, the 10 most important features in predicting an early transition to oral feeding in the artificial neural network and elastic net algorithms were parenteral nutrition, surgical wards, surgical outcomes, enteral nutrition, age, supplemental parenteral nutrition, digestive system diseases, gastrointestinal complications, NRS-2002, and impaired consciousness.

CONCLUSIONS

We developed machine learning models for the prediction of an early transition to oral feeding before discharge. Overall, there was no discernible superiority among the models. Nevertheless, the artificial neural network and elastic net methods provided the highest AUC values. Since the machine learning model is interpretable, it can enable clinicians to better comprehend the features underlying the outcomes. Our study could support personalized treatment and nutritional follow-up strategies in clinical decision making for the prediction of an early transition to oral feeding in hospitalized adult patients.

Evaluation of Malnutrition Knowledge among Nursing Staff in the Czech Republic: A Cross-Sectional Psychometric Study

Construct: The Knowledge of Malnutrition - Geriatric 2.0' (KoM-G 2.0) instrument was designed to quantify nursing staff malnutrition knowledge in inpatient medical and rehabilitation care facilities, as well as home health care. It has been used to assess grasp of current clinical practice guidelines and proficiency in addressing issues related to malnutrition. It provides insight into familiarity with and capacity to tackle issues pertaining to malnutrition in clinical practice. Furthermore, it has been used assess the effectiveness of educational interventions aimed at improving nursing professionals knowledge and awareness of malnutrition. Background: The quality of nursing education affects malnutrition risk assessment, monitoring of food intake, and effectiveness of nutrition care. Improvements in malnutrition education require determining the current level of knowledge and benchmarking with other countries. In the Czech Republic, no nationwide assessment of nursing staff malnutrition knowledge has ever been conducted. Approach: The purpose of the study was to translate the KoM-G 2.0 instrument, gather initial validity evidence, and evaluate nursing staff knowledge of malnutrition in inpatient medical, rehabilitation care facilities, and home care in the Czech Republic. All inpatient healthcare facilities and home healthcare facilities in the Czech Republic were invited to participate. The Czech version of the internationally standardized KoM-G 2.0 (KoM-G 2.0 CZ) was used to assess nursing staff malnutrition knowledge between 3 February 2021 and 31 May 2021. A total of 728 nurses began the questionnaire, and 465 (63.9%) of respondents completed it and were included in the study. Data analyses examined instrument difficulty, discriminability, and reliability, as well as sources of variation in knowledge scores. Findings: The psychometric characteristics of the KoM-G 2.0 CZ instrument included the difficulty index Q (0.61), the discriminant index (ULI 0.29, RIT 0.38, upper-lower 30% 0.67), and Cronbach alpha (0.619). The overall mean of correct answers was 6.24 (SD 2.8). There was a significant impact of educational attainment and nutrition training on KoM-G 2.0 CZ scores. Conclusions: Our findings provide initial validity evidence that KoM-G 2.0 CZ is useful and appropriate for assessing malnutrition knowledge among Czech nursing staff. Our research identified gaps in knowledge and examples of good practice in understanding malnutrition that can be applied internationally. The knowledge of academic nurses was greater; therefore, we suggest they play a key role in nutritional care. We recommend continuous education to improve understanding of malnutrition in this setting.

Best evidence summary for prevention and management of enteral feeding intolerance in critically ill patients

AIM

To evaluate and summarize the evidence for prevention and management of enteral feeding intolerance in critically ill patients and provide reference for clinical practice.

DESIGN

This study was an evidence summary followed by the evidence summary reporting standard of Fudan University Center for Evidence-based Nursing.

METHODS

Current literatures were systematically searched for the best evidence for prevention and management of enteral feeding intolerance in critically ill patients. Literature types included clinical guidelines, best practice information sheets, expert consensuses, systematic reviews, evidence summaries and cohort studies.

DATA SOURCES

UpToDate, BMJ Best Practice, Joanna Briggs Institute, Guidelines International Network, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, Registered Nurses Association of Ontario, Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network, the Cochrane Library, Embase, PubMed, Sinomed, Web of Science, Yi Maitong Guidelines Network, DynaMed, MEDLINE, CNKI, WanFang database, Chinese Medical Journal Full-text Database, European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism website, the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition website were searched from January 2012 to April 2023.

RESULTS

We finally identified 18 articles that had high-quality results. We summarized the 24 pieces of best evidence from these articles, covering five aspects: screening and assessment of the risk of enteral nutritional tolerance; formulation of enteral nutrition preparations; enteral nutritional feeding implementation; feeding intolerance symptom prevention and management; and multidisciplinary management. Of these pieces of evidence, 19 were 'strong' and 5 were 'weak', 7 pieces of evidence were recommended in level one and 4 pieces of evidence were recommended in level two.

CONCLUSION

The following 24 pieces of evidence for prevention and management of enteral feeding intolerance in critically ill patients were finally recommended. However, as these evidences came from different countries, relevant factors such as the clinical environment should be evaluated before application. Future studies should focus on more specific symptoms of feeding intolerance and more targeted prevention design applications.

IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND PATIENT CARE

The clinical medical staffs are recommended to take evidence-based recommendations for the implementation of standardized enteral nutrition to improve patient outcomes and decrease gastrointestinal intolerance in critically ill patients.

IMPACT

The management of enteral nutrition feeding intolerance has always been a challenge and difficulty in critically ill patients. This study summarizes 24 pieces of the best evidence for prevention and management of enteral nutrition feeding intolerance in critically ill patients. Following and implementing these 24 pieces of evidence is beneficial to the prevention and management of feeding intolerance in clinical practice. The 24 pieces of evidence include five aspects, including screening and assessment of the risk of enteral nutritional tolerance, formulation of enteral nutrition preparations, enteral nutritional feeding implementation, feeding intolerance symptom prevention and management and multidisciplinary management. These five aspects constitute a good implementation process. Screening and assessment of enteral nutritional tolerance throughout intervention are important guarantees for developing a feasible nutrition program in critically ill patients. This study will be benefit to global medical workers in the nutritional management of critically ill patients.

REPORTING METHOD

This evidence summary followed the evidence summary reporting specifications of Fudan University Center for Evidence-based Nursing, which were based on the methodological process for the summary of the evidence produced by the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI). The reporting specifications include problem establishment, literature retrieval, literature screening, literature evaluation, the summary and grading of evidence and the formation of practical suggestions. This study was based on the evidence summary reporting specifications of the Fudan University Center for the Evidence-based Nursing, the register name is 'Best evidence summary for prevention and management of enteral feeding intolerance in critically ill patients', the registration number is 'ES20231823'.

[Commitment of Asunción. A call to action]

Introduction

The Latin American Federation of Nutritional Therapy, Clinical Nutrition, and Metabolism - FELANPE, was founded in 1988. It brings together interdisciplinary societies and associations in Clinical Nutrition and Nutritional Therapy from Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as Spain and Portugal. Currently, it comprises representations from 18 countries. The objectives of the Federation are described, taking into account the assumed commitment. This is an observational cross-sectional, multicenter study that included 132 hospitals with more than 100 beds, of high complexity, both state-owned and private, from 14 countries in Latin America that are members of FELANPE. The study assessed hospital characteristics, implementation of nutritional assessment, nutritional diagnosis of patients, the team responsible for nutritional therapy, nutritional therapy (oral, enteral, and parenteral), monitoring, and nutritional follow-up. For this purpose, a digital questionnaire and an explanatory video were designed and validated to ensure the quality of the collected data. Validation was carried out through a pilot study conducted in Paraguay, approved by the Ethics Committee for Research at the Faculty of Medical Sciences of the National University of Asunción. The current research has the approval of the Research Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Chemical Sciences of the National University of Asunción and the Ethics Committee of FELANPE. The results presented at the XVIII Latin American Congress of FELANPE in Asunción, Paraguay, on October 12, 2023, serve as a basis for characterizing the implementation of Parenteral and Enteral Nutritional Therapy (medical nutritional therapy) in hospitals in Latin America and are used as technical support for the present Asunción Commitment.

Predictive Value of Malnutrition, Identified via Different Nutritional Screening or Assessment Tools, for Functional Outcomes in Patients with Stroke: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

Malnutrition affects more than half of patients with stroke. Although malnutrition leads to more deaths, a longer hospital stay, and higher costs, there is still a lack of consensus regarding the impact of malnutrition on physical functional outcomes in patients with stroke, and there are large differences in the diagnostic effects of nutritional screening or assessment tools for malnutrition. This study aimed to explore the impact of malnutrition in patients with stroke and assess the significance of current nutritional screening and assessment tools for these patients.

METHODS

Six databases were systematically searched until October 2022. Cohort studies meeting the eligibility criteria were included. Pooled effects were calculated using random-effects models.

RESULTS

Twenty-six studies with 21,115 participants were included. The pooled effects of malnutrition on poor functional outcome, FIM points, and dysphagia were OR = 2.72 (95% CI = 1.84-4.06), WMD = -19.42(95% CI = -32.87--5.96), and OR = 2.80 (95% CI = 1.67-4.67), respectively.

CONCLUSION

Malnutrition adversely affects the recovery of physical and swallowing functions in patients with stroke. Nutritional assessments consistently predict the outcomes of physical function in patients with stroke.

Exploring the practice of nutritional support during hospitalization across physicians, dietitians, and pharmacists based in Saudi Arabia

Background

Nutritional support has a pivotal role in preventing and treating malnutrition. Recognizing the gaps in nutritional support practice can aid the development of tailored nutritional protocols. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the current practices, attitudes, and perceptions related to nutritional support for hospitalized patients in one of the largest Middle Eastern countries.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted among different healthcare professionals currently working in hospitals in Saudi Arabia and involved in nutritional support practice. Data were collected using convenient sample via a self-administered web-based questionnaire.

Results

A total of 114 participants were included in this study. The majority were dietitians (54%), followed by physicians (33%) and pharmacists (12%), and were from the western region (71.9%). Various attitudes in many practices were observed among the participants. Only 44.7% of the participants had a formal nutritional support team. The mean confidence level of all respondents was significantly higher for enteral nutrition practice (7.7 ± 2.3) than for parenteral nutrition practice (6.1 ± 2.5) (p < 0.01). The confidence level for enteral nutrition practice was significantly influenced by nutritional qualification (β = 0.202, p < 0.05), type of healthcare facility (β = 0.210, p < 0.05), profession (β = -0.308, p < 0.01), and years of experience (β = 0.220, p < 0.05).

Conclusion

This study comprehensively assessed various aspects of nutritional support practice in Saudi Arabia. Healthcare practice of nutritional support should be guided by evidence-based guidelines. Professional qualification and training in nutritional support are essential for promoting practice in hospitals.

Individualised Nutritional Care for Disease-Related Malnutrition: Improving Outcomes by Focusing on What Matters to Patients

Delivering care that meets patients' preferences, needs and values, and that is safe and effective is key to good-quality healthcare. Disease-related malnutrition (DRM) has profound effects on patients and families, but often what matters to patients is not captured in the research, where the focus is often on measuring the adverse clinical and economic consequences of DRM. Differences in the terminology used to describe care that meets patients' preferences, needs and values confounds the problem. Individualised nutritional care (INC) is nutritional care that is tailored to a patient's specific needs, preferences, values and goals. Four key pillars underpin INC: what matters to patients, shared decision making, evidence informed multi-modal nutritional care and effective monitoring of outcomes. Although INC is incorporated in nutrition guidelines and studies of oral nutritional intervention for DRM in adults, the descriptions and the degree to which it is included varies. Studies in specific patient groups show that INC improves health outcomes. The nutrition care process (NCP) offers a practical model to help healthcare professionals individualise nutritional care. The model can be used by all healthcare disciplines across all healthcare settings. Interdisciplinary team approaches provide nutritional care that delivers on what matters to patients, without increased resources and can be adapted to include INC. This review is of relevance to all involved in the design, delivery and evaluation of nutritional care for all patients, regardless of whether they need first-line nutritional care or complex, highly specialised nutritional care.

Individualised Nutritional Care for Disease-Related Malnutrition: Improving Outcomes by Focusing on What Matters to Patients

Delivering care that meets patients' preferences, needs and values, and that is safe and effective is key to good-quality healthcare. Disease-related malnutrition (DRM) has profound effects on patients and families, but often what matters to patients is not captured in the research, where the focus is often on measuring the adverse clinical and economic consequences of DRM. Differences in the terminology used to describe care that meets patients' preferences, needs and values confounds the problem. Individualised nutritional care (INC) is nutritional care that is tailored to a patient's specific needs, preferences, values and goals. Four key pillars underpin INC: what matters to patients, shared decision making, evidence informed multi-modal nutritional care and effective monitoring of outcomes. Although INC is incorporated in nutrition guidelines and studies of oral nutritional intervention for DRM in adults, the descriptions and the degree to which it is included varies. Studies in specific patient groups show that INC improves health outcomes. The nutrition care process (NCP) offers a practical model to help healthcare professionals individualise nutritional care. The model can be used by all healthcare disciplines across all healthcare settings. Interdisciplinary team approaches provide nutritional care that delivers on what matters to patients, without increased resources and can be adapted to include INC. This review is of relevance to all involved in the design, delivery and evaluation of nutritional care for all patients, regardless of whether they need first-line nutritional care or complex, highly specialised nutritional care.

Individualised Nutritional Care for Disease-Related Malnutrition: Improving Outcomes by Focusing on What Matters to Patients

Delivering care that meets patients’ preferences, needs and values, and that is safe and effective is key to good-quality healthcare. Disease-related malnutrition (DRM) has profound effects on patients and families, but often what matters to patients is not captured in the research, where the focus is often on measuring the adverse clinical and economic consequences of DRM. Differences in the terminology used to describe care that meets patients’ preferences, needs and values confounds the problem. Individualised nutritional care (INC) is nutritional care that is tailored to a patient’s specific needs, preferences, values and goals. Four key pillars underpin INC: what matters to patients, shared decision making, evidence informed multi-modal nutritional care and effective monitoring of outcomes. Although INC is incorporated in nutrition guidelines and studies of oral nutritional intervention for DRM in adults, the descriptions and the degree to which it is included varies. Studies in specific patient groups show that INC improves health outcomes. The nutrition care process (NCP) offers a practical model to help healthcare professionals individualise nutritional care. The model can be used by all healthcare disciplines across all healthcare settings. Interdisciplinary team approaches provide nutritional care that delivers on what matters to patients, without increased resources and can be adapted to include INC. This review is of relevance to all involved in the design, delivery and evaluation of nutritional care for all patients, regardless of whether they need first-line nutritional care or complex, highly specialised nutritional care.

Malnutrition Screening and Assessment

Malnutrition is a serious problem with a negative impact on the quality of life and the evolution of patients, contributing to an increase in morbidity, length of hospital stay, mortality, and health spending. Early identification is fundamental to implement the necessary therapeutic actions, involving adequate nutritional support to prevent or reverse malnutrition. This review presents two complementary methods of fighting malnutrition: nutritional screening and nutritional assessment. Nutritional risk screening is conducted using simple, quick-to-perform tools, and is the first line of action in detecting at-risk patients. It should be implemented systematically and periodically on admission to hospital or residential care, as well as on an outpatient basis for patients with chronic conditions. Once patients with a nutritional risk are detected, they should undergo a more detailed nutritional assessment to identify and quantify the type and degree of malnutrition. This should include health history and clinical examination, dietary history, anthropometric measurements, evaluation of the degree of aggression determined by the disease, functional assessment, and, whenever possible, some method of measuring body composition.

A Descriptive Analysis of Macronutrient, Fatty Acid Profile, and Some Immunomodulatory Nutrients in Standard and Disease-Specific Enteral Formulae in Europe

Foods for special medical purposes (FSMPs) are commercially available formulations used as a source of nutrition when administered orally or by tube feeding. This study examines, for the first time, the nutritional composition of enteral formulae (EFs) according to European nutritional guidelines. We developed a descriptive study on 118 EFs from 2020 to 2021. Formulae were classified as standard (SFs) and disease-specific (DSF). According to the protein-energy content, SFs were classified into G1, normoprotein-normocaloric; G2, normoprotein-hypercaloric; G3, hyperproteic-normocaloric; and G4, hyperproteic-hypercaloric. Disease-related formulae for metabolic stress, renal, cancer, pulmonary, diabetes, malabsorption, and surgery were studied. Macronutrient distribution, fatty acid profile (monounsaturated [MUFA], polyunsaturated [PUFA], saturated [SFA]), derived fat quality indexes, and immuno-modulatory nutrients (omega-3, eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA], docosahexaenoic acid [DHA], arginine and nucleotides) per 1,500 kcal infused were calculated. In total, 53% were SFs, mainly normoproteic (G1, G2) with higher carbohydrate contents in normocaloric vs. hypercaloric SFs. The most balanced fatty acid profiles (MUFA: 17.7%; PUFA: 6.8%; SFA: 9.5%) belonged to G1. The PUFA/MUFA ratio: ≥0.5 was in 85.7% with a higher proportion of EPA+DHA (46%) vs. omega-3 (15.8%) in SFs. In DSFs (46.9%), higher carbohydrate content (>50%) was in malabsorption and surgery, whereas high-fat content (>50%) was in pulmonary and renal formulae. DSFs had higher SFA vs. MUFA content, except for diabetes. EPA and DHA were added in 45.5% (cancer, malabsorption, and surgery). Only 12.7% of DSFs had arginine and nucleotides. A higher proportion of SFs was found, in line with current European guidelines. Results highlighted a wide intra-group variability of nutrients among the formula selected. These findings are useful to evaluate the nutritional composition of EFs from a preventive and/or therapeutic perspective in clinical settings.

Clinical and nutritional predictors of hospital readmission within 30 days

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

Identify clinical, sociodemographic, and nutritional predictors of hospital readmission within 30 days.

SUBJECTS/METHODS

A longitudinal study was conducted with patients hospitalised at a public institution in Recife, Brazil. Sociodemographic (age, sex, race, and place of residence), clinical (diagnosis, comorbidities, medications, polypharmacy, hospital outcome, hospital stay, and occurrence of readmission within 30 days), and nutritional (% of weight loss, body mass index, arm circumference [AC], and calf circumference [CC]) characteristics were collected from the nutritional assessment files and patient charts. Nutritional risk was determined using the 2002 Nutritional Risk Screening tool and the diagnosis of malnutrition was based on the GLIM criteria.

RESULTS

The sample was composed of 252 patients, 58 (23.0%; CI_95%: 17.2-28.8%) of whom were readmitted within 30 days after discharge from hospital, 135 (53.5%; CI_95%: 46.7-60.5%) were at nutritional risk and 107 (42.4%; CI_95%: 35.6-49.3%) were malnourished. In the bivariate analysis, polypharmacy, nutritional risk, malnutrition, low AC, and low CC were associated with readmission. In the multivariate analysis, low CC was considered an independent risk factor, increasing the likelihood of hospital readmission nearly fourfold. In contrast, the absence of polypharmacy was a protective favour, reducing the likelihood of readmission by 81%.

CONCLUSIONS

The use of six medications or more and low calf circumference are risk factors for hospital readmission within 30 days after discharge.

Effect of Early Enteral Nutrition Support Combined with Chemotherapy on Related Complications and Immune Function of Patients after Radical Gastrectomy

Objective

The purpose was to analyze the effect of early enteral nutrition (EEN) support combined with chemotherapy on related complications and immune function in patients after radical gastrectomy.

Methods

80 patients with gastric cancer treated in our hospital from March 2019 to March 2020 were selected as the research objects and divided into the experimental group and control group according to the random number table, with 40 cases in each group. The control group received chemotherapy only after surgery, while the experimental group received EEN on this basis. The total protein (TP), transferrin (TF), albumin (ALB), immune cells, and other indexes were measured in the two groups before and after treatment to analyze the effect of different treatment methods on the complications and immune function of patients after radical gastrectomy.

Results

There were no significant differences in gender ratio, average age, average BMI, pathological types, disease staging, and residence between the two groups (P > 0.05). The exhaust recovery time, total gastric tube drainage, fluid intake time, and hospitalization time in the experimental group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in the TP, TF, and ALB levels between the two groups before treatment (P > 0.05), and the TP, TF, and ALB levels in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control group after treatment (P < 0.05). The CD4⁺/CD8⁺, CD3⁺, and CD4⁺ levels in the experimental group after treatment were significantly higher than those in the control group (P < 0.001). After treatment, the growth hormone levels in both groups significantly increased (P < 0.001), and the growth hormone level in the experimental group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in the KPS scores between the two groups before treatment (P > 0.05), and the KPS score in the experimental group was significantly higher than that in the control group after treatment (P < 0.001). The incidence of postoperative complications in the experimental group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

EEN combined with chemotherapy is a reliable method to improve the immune function of patients after radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer, which plays an important role in improving the physical state of patients and reducing the incidence of complications. Therefore, its further research will help to establish a better treatment plan for such patients.

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition: Revised 2021 Standards of Practice and Standards of Professional Performance for Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (Competent, Proficient, and Expert) in Nutrition Support

Nutrition support is a therapy that crosses all ages, diseases, and conditions as health care practitioners strive to meet the nutritional requirements of individuals who are unable to meet nutritional and/or hydration needs with oral intake alone. Registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs), as integral members of the nutrition support team provide needed information, such as identification of malnutrition risk, macro- and micronutrient requirements, and type of nutrition support therapy (eg, enteral or parenteral), including the route (eg, nasogastric vs nasojejunal or tunneled catheter vs port). The Dietitians in Nutrition Support Dietetic Practice Group, American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, along with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Quality Management Committee, have updated the Standards of Practice (SOP) and Standards of Professional Performance (SOPP) for RDNs working in nutrition support. The SOP and SOPP for RDNs in Nutrition Support provide indicators that describe the following 3 levels of practice: competent, proficient, and expert. The SOP uses the Nutrition Care Process and clinical workflow elements for delivering patient/client care. The SOPP describes the 6 domains that focus on professional performance. Specific indicators outlined in the SOP and SOPP depict how these standards apply to practice. The SOP and SOPP are complementary resources for RDNs and are intended to be used as a self-evaluation tool for assuring competent practice in nutrition support and for determining potential education and training needs for advancement to a higher practice level in a variety of settings.

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition: Revised 2021 standards of practice and standards of professional performance for registered dietitian nutritionists (competent, proficient, and expert) in nutrition support

Nutrition support is a therapy that crosses all ages, diseases, and conditions as health care practitioners strive to meet the nutrition requirements of individuals who are unable to meet nutrition and/or hydration needs with oral intake alone. Registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs), as integral members of the nutrition support team provide needed information, such as identification of malnutrition risk, macro- and micronutrient requirements, and type of nutrition support therapy (eg, enteral or parenteral), including the route (eg, nasogastric vs nasojejunal or tunneled catheter vs port). The Dietitians in Nutrition Support Dietetic Practice Group, American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, along with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Quality Management Committee, have updated the Standards of Practice (SOP) and Standards of Professional Performance (SOPP) for RDNs working in nutrition support. The SOP and SOPP for RDNs in Nutrition Support provide indicators that describe the following 3 levels of practice: competent, proficient, and expert. The SOP uses the Nutrition Care Process and clinical workflow elements for delivering patient/client care. The SOPP describes the 6 domains that focus on professional performance. Specific indicators outlined in the SOP and SOPP depict how these standards apply to practice. The SOP and SOPP are complementary resources for RDNs and are intended to be used as a self-evaluation tool for assuring competent practice in nutrition support and for determining potential education and training needs for advancement to a higher practice level in a variety of settings.

[Critical deficiencies of energy and protein with a high provision of non-nutritional calories after one week in an intensive care unit]

INTRODUCTION

nutritional therapy is essential for the treatment of critically ill patients, although its right application fails frequently, which increases the risk for undernutrition and complications.

OBJECTIVE

to evaluate the nutritional adequacy of patients with enteral nutritional support in an intensive care unit (ICU).

METHODS

a cohort study was conducted including adults admitted to the ICU with enteral support and stay ≥ 7 days. Demographic data, severity of the disease, and clinical and nutritional scores, including IL-6 levels and body composition, were evaluated at admission. Nutritional intake was recorded daily in relation to the target intake according to international guidelines, for calculation of caloric and protein deficiencies.

RESULTS

in all, 26 from 132 admitted patients were included. Their probability of mortality was 20-25 % due to disease severity by APACHE (16.6 ± 6.02) and SOFA (8 ± 4.4). Undernutrition risk was 5.6 ± 1.09 by NRS-2002 and 4.3 ± 1.2 by angle phase. Caloric deficiency was -674 kcal/day, with 13 % proteins (28 ± 11.5 g/d) and 42 % lipids, including 17.5 % of non-nutrient calories from propofol. NUTRIC was significantly associated with percentages of the caloric prescription at days 3 and 7 (R2 = 0.21, p = 0.01).

CONCLUSION

patients had a caloric/protein deficit with critical protein deficit of -85.2 g/day, and an inadequate proportion between protein calories and non-protein calories, increasing their risk of complications.

Cost savings associated with nutritional support in medical inpatients: an economic model based on data from a systematic review of randomised trials

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Nutritional support improves clinical outcomes during hospitalisation as well as after discharge. Recently, a systematic review of 27 randomised, controlled trials showed that nutritional support was associated with lower rates of hospital readmissions and improved survival. In the present economic modelling study, we sought to determine whether in-hospital nutritional support would also return economic benefits.

METHODS

The current economic model applied cost estimates to the outcome results from our recent systematic review of hospitalised patients. In the underlying meta-analysis, a total of 27 trials (n=6803 patients) were included. To calculate the economic impact of nutritional support, a Markov model was developed using transitions between relevant health states. Costs were estimated accounting for length of stay in a general hospital ward, hospital-acquired infections, readmissions and nutritional support. Six-month mortality was also considered. The estimated daily per-patient cost for in-hospital nutrition was US$6.23.

RESULTS

Overall costs of care within the model timeframe of 6 months averaged US$63 227 per patient in the intervention group versus US$66 045 in the control group, which corresponds to per patient cost savings of US$2818. These cost savings were mainly due to reduced infection rate and shorter lengths of stay. We also calculated the costs to prevent a hospital-acquired infection and a non-elective readmission, that is, US$820 and US$733, respectively. The incremental cost per life-day gained was -US$1149 with 2.53 additional days. The sensitivity analyses for cost per quality-adjusted life day provided support for the original findings.

CONCLUSIONS

For medical inpatients who are malnourished or at nutritional risk, our findings showed that in-hospital nutritional support is a cost-effective way to reduce risk for readmissions, lower the frequency of hospital-associated infections, and improve survival rates.

Development of a Competency Model for Placement and Verification of Nasogastric and Nasoenteric Feeding Tubes for Adult Hospitalized Patients

Nasogastric/nasoenteric (NG/NE) feeding tube placements are associated with adverse events and, without proper training, can lead to devastating and significant patient harm related to misplacement. Safe feeding tube placement practices and verification are critical. There are many procedures and techniques for placement and verification; this paper provides an overview and update of techniques to guide practitioners in making clinical decisions. Regardless of placement technique and verification practices employed, it is essential that training and competency are maintained and documented for all clinicians placing NG/NE feeding tubes. This paper has been approved by the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN) Board of Directors.

Clinical Nutrition and Human Rights. An International Position Paper

The International Working Group for Patients' Right to Nutritional Care presents its position paper regarding nutritional care as a human right intrinsically linked to the right to food and the right to health. All people should have access to food and evidence-based medical nutrition therapy including artificial nutrition and hydration. In this regard, the hospitalized malnourished ill should mandatorily have access to screening, diagnosis, nutritional assessment, with optimal and timely nutritional therapy in order to overcome malnutrition associated morbidity and mortality, while reducing the rates of disease-related malnutrition. This right does not imply there is an obligation to feed all patients at any stage of life and at any cost. On the contrary, this right implies, from an ethical point of view, that the best decision for the patient must be taken and this may include, under certain circumstances, the decision not to feed. Application of the human rights-based approach to the field of clinical nutrition will contribute to the construction of a moral, political, and legal focus to the concept of nutritional care. Moreover, it will be the cornerstone to the rationale of political and legal instruments in the field of clinical nutrition.

Clinical nutrition and human rights. An international position paper

The International Working Group for Patients' Right to Nutritional Care presents its position paper regarding nutritional care as a human right intrinsically linked to the right to food and the right to health. All people should have access to food and evidence-based medical nutrition therapy including artificial nutrition and hydration. In this regard, the hospitalized malnourished ill should mandatorily have access to screening, diagnosis, nutritional assessment, with optimal and timely nutritional therapy in order to overcome malnutrition associated morbidity and mortality, while reducing the rates of disease-related malnutrition. This right does not imply there is an obligation to feed all patients at any stage of life and at any cost. On the contrary, this right implies, from an ethical point of view, that the best decision for the patient must be taken and this may include, under certain circumstances, the decision not to feed. Application of the human rights-based approach to the field of clinical nutrition will contribute to the construction of a moral, political and legal focus to the concept of nutritional care. Moreover, it will be the cornerstone to the rationale of political and legal instruments in the field of clinical nutrition.

Development and psychometric testing of a questionnaire to assess Nurse's perception of risks during enteral nutrition

Background

Enteral nutrition (EN) therapy is widely used in clinical practice to provide artificial nutrition to patients, while the incidence of adverse events are relatively highly. In the clinical setting, the occurrence of adverse events is associated with the nurse’s risk perception. Thus, using tool to evaluate nurse’s risk perception of enteral nutrition is necessary.

Methods

The draft questionnaire with 37-items was formed by comprehensive literature reviews and semi-structured in-depth interviews with 11 nurses. Two iterations of expert consultations were used to evaluate the content validity, and 4 items were deleted in this phrase. A 33-items questionnaire was used to survey 352 nurses from five tertiary hospitals in China from May to July 2019 with convenience sampling. Content validity, construct validity and known-groups validity were evaluated by content validity index (CVI), exploratory factor analysis, and the comparisons of the different EN risk perception levels of nurses at different working departments and different educational backgrounds, respectively. Reliability was tested by internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and split-half reliability.

Results

After the exploratory factor analysis, four items were excluded. Finally, the newly developed questionnaire included 29 items explaining 71.356% of the total variance. It consisted of three factors: Risks of operation (15 items); Risks of EN-related adverse events (11 items), and Risks of EN solution selection (3 items). The CVI of the questionnaire was 0.95 and the CVI of items ranged from 0.875–1.0. The results of known-groups validity showed that the nurses with different educational backgrounds had a statistically significant difference of EN risk perception (z = − 3.024, p = 0.002), whereas there was not significantly different between EN risk perception of nurses working in different departments (z = − 1.644, p = 0.100). The Cronbach’s α, test-retest reliability, and split-half reliability of the questionnaire were 0.967, 0.818, and 0.815, respectively.

Conclusions

The newly developed questionnaire for assessing nurse’s EN risk perception showed good reliability and validity. It can be used as a tool for nursing managers to assess Chinese nurses’ EN risk perception ability, so as to help to reduce the occurrence of adverse events during EN implementation.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12912-020-00520-z.

[Pillars for excellence in nutrition support units. Regulation]

Introduction

Nutritional assessment and treatment, necessary for the prevention and treatment of disease-related malnutrition, should be carried out by a multidisciplinary team where each member has well-defined skills and functions, and mechanisms are established to allow adequate coordination, both in the inpatient and outpatient settings. In Spain, the development and implementation of these teams or units dedicated to clinical nutrition has been very important: today they are present in most hospitals. This paper reviews the characteristics of clinical nutrition units, the functions of their team members, and the regulatory framework in our country.

The Age of Artificial Intelligence: Use of Digital Technology in Clinical Nutrition

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Computing advances over the decades have catalyzed the pervasive integration of digital technology in the medical industry, now followed by similar applications for clinical nutrition. This review discusses the implementation of such technologies for nutrition, ranging from the use of mobile apps and wearable technologies to the development of decision support tools for parenteral nutrition and use of telehealth for remote assessment of nutrition.

RECENT FINDINGS

Mobile applications and wearable technologies have provided opportunities for real-time collection of granular nutrition-related data. Machine learning has allowed for more complex analyses of the increasing volume of data collected. The combination of these tools has also translated into practical clinical applications, such as decision support tools, risk prediction, and diet optimization.

SUMMARY

The state of digital technology for clinical nutrition is still young, although there is much promise for growth and disruption in the future.

When is parenteral nutrition indicated in the hospitalized, acutely ill patient?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The current review discusses current practices regarding appropriate indications for parenteral nutrition in acutely ill hospitalized patients. We address-specific indications for parenteral nutrition in the perioperative period, and in inflammatory bowel disease, oncology, hepatobiliary, critical care and end-stage renal disease patients.

RECENT FINDINGS

Acutely ill hospitalized patients can develop intestinal failure requiring parenteral nutrition. Recent studies have provided insight into the main indications. The most common indications for inpatient parenteral nutrition include postsurgical complications, including prolonged ileus, sepsis, fistula and leaks, and bowel obstruction, predominantly malignant. Severe or complicated inflammatory bowel disease and cancer treatment-related mucosal enteropathies (mucositis, enterocolitis, gut graft-versus-host disease) are the next commonest indications. Less frequent indications are primary motility disorders and inability to secure enteral access for enteral nutrition. Gastrointestinal failure of the intensive care patient is a separate entity resulting from multiple mechanisms, including an enteropathy and dysmotility.

SUMMARY

Despite the wider availability of nutrition support teams, use of parenteral nutrition is not without risk. The risks and benefits of parenteral nutrition in the acute setting need to be carefully considered even when it is indicated.

Nasogastric Tube Feeding Versus Total Parenteral Nutrition in Older Dysphagic Patients with Pneumonia: Retrospective Cohort Study

OBJECTIVES

Many older patients with pneumonia cannot intake orally after admission and may need nutritional care such as nasogastric tube feeding or total parenteral nutrition. This study sought to compare in-hospital outcomes between patients receiving nasogastric tube feeding and total parenteral nutrition.

DESIGN

This is a retrospective cohort study.

SETTING

A hospital-based database constructed by the Diagnosis Procedure Combination survey data comprising more than 100 acute-care hospitals.

PARTICIPANTS

The study included consecutive older inpatients aged >65 years admitted to participating hospitals with a diagnosis of pneumonia from 2014 through 2017.

MEASUREMENTS

We compared patients who received total parenteral nutrition and those who received nasogastric tube feeding in terms of characteristics and outcomes.

RESULTS

Among the included inpatients, a total of 336 (73.2%) patients received total parenteral nutrition and 123 (26.8%) patients received nasogastric tube feeding. Patients with nasogastric tube feeding had less in-hospital mortality (13.8% vs 27.1%, p = 0.003) and a smaller number of complications (mean; 0.71 vs 1.44, p <0.001), shorter length of hospital stay (mean; 27.6 vs 48.9, p <0.001), more discharges home (72.4% vs 35.1%, p <0.001), and more discharges without oral intake (65.9% vs 45.8%, p <0.001) than patients with total parenteral nutrition. The same results were obtained in propensity score analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

Older patients with pneumonia treated with total parenteral nutrition were significantly more likely to have higher in-hospital mortality than those receiving nasogastric tube feeding.

Consensus Recommendations for Optimizing Electronic Health Records for Nutrition Care

Provision of nutrition care is vital to the health and well-being of any patient who enters the health care system, whether in the ambulatory, inpatient, or long-term care setting. Interdisciplinary professionals-nurses, physicians, advanced practice providers, pharmacists, and dietitians-identify and treat nutrition problems or clinical conditions in each of these health care settings. The documentation of nutrition care in a structured format from screening and assessment to discharge allows communication of the nutrition treatment plans. The goal of this document is to provide recommendations to clinicians for working with an organization's Information Systems department to create tools for documentation of nutrition care in the electronic health record. These recommendations can also serve as guidance for health care organizations choosing and implementing health care software.

Significant Published Articles for Pharmacy Nutrition Support Practice in 2018

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to assist the pharmacist engaged in nutrition support therapy in staying current with pertinent literature. Methods: Several clinical pharmacists engaged in nutrition support therapy compiled a list of articles published in 2018 considered important to their clinical practice. The citation list was compiled into a single spreadsheet where the author participants were asked to assess whether the article was considered important to nutrition support pharmacy practice. A culled list of publications was then identified whereby the majority of author participants (at least 5 of 8) considered the paper to be important. Guideline and consensus papers from professional organizations, important to practice but not scored, were also included. Results: A total of 117 articles were identified; 8 from the primary literature were voted by the group to be of high importance. An additional 13 organizational guidelines, position, recommendation, or consensus papers were also identified. The top-ranked articles from the primary literature were reviewed. Conclusion: We recommend that pharmacists engaged in nutrition support therapy be familiar with these articles as it pertains to their practice.