Support and practical advice for the use of nutrition support teams

There are many guidelines recommending that provision of parenteral nutrition (PN) should be supervised by nutrition support teams (NSTs). There is some evidence that these teams make economic sense, decrease complications and result in greater delivery of target nutritional requirements. Moreover, a recent report on the quality of PN care in the UK found only 19% was considered to be consistent with current good practice. Recommendations exist on how to set up teams, but advice on the practical aspects of doing the job is lacking. In this article, the authors outline the NST method of practice at North Shore Hospital in Auckland, New Zealand, including its assessment sheet and a description of its working acronym LIFEWRAP, which is used to ensure consistent assessment and care.