[Economic assessment of the implementation of a parenteral nutrition protocol for patients undergoing intestinal...

An economic assessment on the impact of total parenteral nutrition guidelines developed by the Hospital Nutrition Committee for patients undergoing intestinal resection and implemented by a nutritional support multidisciplinary team, was conducted.

A comparative retrospective study of two consecutive annual periods before and after the implementation of total parenteral nutrition guidelines for patients undergoing intestinal resection developed by the Nutrition Committee was carried out. Cost-effectiveness analysis from the hospital perspective was performed with the pharmacoeconomic program Pharma-Decision Hospital. Effectiveness was assessed as nutritional gain and safety profile; as well as determination of the costs of acquisition, preparation, administration, monitoring and nutritional complications. Sensitivity analysis (+/-20%) of effectiveness and hospital stay.

Among 326 patients hospitalized for intestinal resection, 69 out of 172 (40%) received parenteral nutrition during the early period, versus 40 out of 154 (26%) after the surgery procedure (p < 0.01). In 79% of the patients with parenteral nutrition, the adequacy of the indication was assessed, being adequate in 51.7% and 56.7%, respectively (p = 0.66). Nutritional gain before and after surgery was similar (78.3 vs. 82.5%, p > 0.05), with patients having less episodes of hypophosphatemia postoperatively (60 vs. 38%). Mean total cost per patient before and after surgery was 9,180.81 and 7,871.96, respectively. The sensitivity analysis confirmed the above results.

The development of total parenteral nutrition guidelines by the Nutrition Committee for surgical patients undergoing intestinal resection and their implementation by a multidisciplinary team improved the use of parenteral nutrition and reduced associated costs, with the same nutritional evolution.