Strategies for High-Quality Nutrition Therapy in Brazil

Strategies for improving nutrition therapy (NT) are of utmost importance in any healthcare system. The identification and treatment of malnourished patients improves clinical outcome and reduces the length of hospital length of stay and the associated costs. In particular, federal policy regulating the use of NT in Brazil and reimbursement of enteral nutrition (EN) treatment were 2 powerful mechanisms that stimulated the development of nutrition care. Basic and clinical research have also contributed to best practices in NT, thereby highlighting the need for nutrition therapy teams, quality indicators, and nutrition education for the delivery of high-quality NT. It is clear that the availability of training and continuing education programs in clinical nutrition is key to improving nutrition awareness and care, as well as patient outcome. On the basis of our experience, we recommend the Brazilian model as a strategy for improving nutrition care, with appropriate and necessary adaptations made to accommodate different settings.