A survey on the enteral nutrition practices in patients with neurological diseases in the tertiary hospitals of northern China in 2020 / 中华临床营养杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To investigate the enteral nutrition (EN) practices in patients with neurological diseases in the tertiary hospitals of northern China in 2020.Methods:A questionnaire survey was conducted among clinicians in 123 tertiary hospitals of northern China, which admitted patients with neurological diseases and implemented EN practices, in June 2020. The selected departments included neurology, neurological intensive care unit (ICU), neurosurgery ICU, and general ICU. The indicators for evaluation included the equipment and personnel for EN practices, the application of screening, assessment and implementation methods of EN management, the timing of EN support, the route and methods of EN infusion, and the monitoring of nutrition-related indicators.Results:Concerning the EN practices in the 123 tertiary hospitals of northern China, 82.9% were equipped with weight measuring instruments, 85.4% with EN infusion pumps, 74.8% applied nutrition risk screening 2002 (NRS 2002) or nutrition risk in critically ill (NUTRIC) score scale to evaluate the nutritional status of patients, 71.5% applied nutrition assessment scales, 74.8% elevated the head of the bed to ≥ 30 degrees during EN infusion. Only 30.1% were equipped with an indirect calorimetry instruments (metabolic cart), 31.7% had their own standard operating procedures for nutrition management, 46.3% had a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) or percutaneous endoscopic jejunostomy (PEJ) devices, 46.3% had a nutrition support team, 48.0% started EN practices within 48 hours, 57.7% started EN infusion based on Water Swallow Test, and 58.5% stopped EN infusion based on Water Swallow Test.Conclusions:The EN equipments in practices for patients with neurological diseases in tertiary hospitals of northern China were basically adequate, the evaluation and monitoring of EN related indicators were basically consummate. However, there were still some deficiencies warranting further improvement.