Managing people on sip feeds in the community

Community nurses often have the difficult task of identifying and coordinating the care of under-nourished patients in the community. Studies have shown that patients who are underweight are likely to visit to their general practitioner more often, need more medication and be admitted to hospital. Nutritional sip feeds have been shown to clinically benefit underweight patients suffering from chronic conditions as well as the older people. Adapting ordinary food to meet the patient's nutritional requirements should be considered first, but sip feeds provide an additional source of nutrients when this proves insufficient. All patients on sip feeds should have a clear aim for this nutritional intervention (e.g. the healing of a pressure area) and be monitored regularly.