• Susan Gonya and Michael Baram.
• a Pulmonary and Critical Care , Thomas Jefferson University , Philadelphia , PA , USA.
• Hosp Pract (1995). 2015 Jan 1; 43 (5): 277-83.

BackgroundNutrition support is important in critical illness, and accurate recording is particularly important to determine whether nutritional goals are met both from a caloric and volume perspective.ObjectiveTo assess accuracy of enteral feeding records, to increase nursing education and to improve nutritional documentation.MethodsAn uncontrolled, prospective, pre- and post-intervention study was completed as part of a quality improvement initiative. This study was performed in a 950-bed university hospital (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and focused in a 25-bed, closed intensive care unit (ICU) with a multidisciplinary rounding team of intensivist, nurse, pharmacist, dietitian and respiratory therapist. Nurse researchers reviewed 188 patient electronic medical records (EMR) and compared the data to volume data saved on enteral feeding pump. Data analysis revealed inconsistencies between the pump readings and EMR. The need for a prospective intervention was recognized and implementation of this intervention included pump calibration and teaching modules aimed at improving enteral feeding protocols. During post-intervention, another 234 records were reviewed.ResultsThe intervention of an education program reduced the documented discrepancy between the pump readings and charted volumes from 44 to 33%. A correlation analysis also showed a tighter relationship post-intervention (rpost = 0.84 vs. rpre = 0.76, both had a p < 0.01).ConclusionThis study highlights the importance of accurate nutritional monitoring in the ICU and demonstrates that educational interventions can improve enteral feeding protocols. Pump calibrations, frequent interrogation and vigilant nutritional documentation can improve enteral nutrition delivery. Future studies are needed to determine if the effects are sustainable and if further education will further improve documentation and delivery.

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