Best Practice Guidelines

Home Enteral Nutrition

Introduction:

The aim of these guidelines is to achieve better health outcomes by improving the practice of health professionals involved in the care of patients requiring home enteral nutrition (HEN).

The best care of the patient receiving HEN will occur when the primary care physician working with a nutrition support team (comprising medical practitioner, nurse, dietitian, stomal therapist) takes responsibility for the initial and ongoing care of the patient receiving HEN.

All members of the team have specialised knowledge and experience in HEN. The team familiar with HEN liaises with all other health professionals involved with other aspects of clinical care. The team makes a joint decision regarding patient selection and ongoing management.

The team approach can:

• improve standard of care
• increase cost-effectiveness
• ensure appropriate training and counseling of patient/or carer
• reduce complication rates

Micronutrients

AUSPEN GUIDELINES FOR INTRAVENOUS TRACE ELEMENTS AND VITAMINS (download doc)

At the 22nd Annual Conference of AuSPEN in 1996 there was a Micro- Nutrient Workshop reviewing the current AuSPEN recommendations for Intravenous Trace Elements and Vitamins in Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN).

Dr Alan Shenkin, from the Department of Clinical Chemistry University of Liverpool UK, and Dr Michael Barnett, The Welsh School of Pharmacy, University of Wales, Cardiff were active advisors to the Workshop. Together with a panel of Australian members of AuSPEN the following updated guidelines are presented.

The majority of the workshop focused on recent research into changes in Trace Element requirements during acute illness & TPN. Prevention of trace element deficiencies is clearly critical, and modification of trace element requirements as a consequence of the acute-phase response is now better understood. No significant new recommendations were made regarding intravenous vitamin dosages.

A key reference forming the basis of these recommendations is found in a supplement to NUTRITION Jan/Feb 1995 Vol II No1: "The Trace Elements: Their Role and Function in Nutritional Support"
 

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