Artificial nutrition support for patients in the Cambridge Health District

This paper describes the results of a one-year prospective survey of patients who received artificial enteral and parenteral nutritional support at home and in the hospitals of the Cambridge Health District. Enteral tube feeding accounted for most of the artificial nutritional support provided both in hospital and in the community. The findings of the study suggest that nutritional support is an important adjunct to the treatment of serious clinical disorders, and that the care of such patients can be improved by the establishment of a multidisciplinary enteral and parenteral nutrition team. Suggestions are made for establishing a structured home nutritional service.