Audit of nutritional support provided to surgical patients by a nutrition team

An audit was carried out over a 24 month period to assess the practice, safety and efficacy of nutritional support provided to surgical patients by a designated team. 135 patients received nutritional support: 51% were fed parenterally, 32% enterally and 17% via combined nutritional support. The duration of feeding ranged from 1-177 days with 23% being supported for < 7 days. The line infection rate for patients receiving intravenous nutrition was 6.5%. Nutritional outcome was assessed using weight, anthropometry and bioelectrical impedance analysis. Pre-and post-feeding results were available for 67% of patients. These patients were classified as either oedematous (n = 21), normally nourished (n = 23) or nutritionally depleted (n = 46). Overall, the oedematous patients lost water, the protein status of the normally nourished group deteriorated slightly and the nutritional status of the nutritionally depleted patients was maintained. Audit is a valuable means of defining the efficacy of a nutrition support service and has identified areas which require review.