Technology innovations in delivering accurate nutrition
This ICU Management & Practice article proposes "An overview of the key obstacles for the enforcement of nutritional guidelines and innovative approaches that can be used to overcome these obstacles."
Authors outlines that one of the main pitfalls is the common use of predictive equations for targeting energy prescription. The equations have been demonstrated by many to be inaccurate in more than 50% of the cases, leading to under or over nutrition.
To help physicians determine energy needs at the bedside new easy-to-use devices have been developed to measure the actual resting energy expenditure related to the specific patient condition.
Other obstacles are also considered such as lack of knowledge on over or under feeding consequences, feeding tube misplacement, no personalised feeding formula solutions.
In the end, the review puts “the inadequacy of predictive equations to determine target energy plans” as the second reason on why malnutrition and inaccuracy of feeding occur today.
Technology-enabled solutions may be the answer giving the physician and the nurse the ability to comply with the guidelines. Compliance with the guidelines will result in better patient safety, lower mortality, fewer complications, reduced length of stay in the ICU, and reduced overall healthcare costs.
- Title: Technology innovations in delivering accurate nutrition
- Authors: Singer P, Liron E
- Published in: ICU Management & Practice, Volume 19 - Issue 1, 2019
The study can be read at the following link: Click here
