Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding Probiotic Use in Enteral Feeding Among Intensive Care Unit Healthcare...

Background: Probiotics have emerged as an effective therapeutic intervention in critically ill patients receiving enteral nutrition, yet their use remains inconsistent across intensive care units (ICUs). Understanding knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) among healthcare professionals (HCPs) is essential for optimizing evidence-based probiotic administration in enteral nutrition, identifying perceived implementation barriers, and examining associations between KAP scores and study variables. Methods: A multicenter, cross-sectional online survey was administered to ICU physicians, nurses, clinical dietitians, pharmacists, and respiratory therapists. Participants completed a self-reported questionnaire assessing their knowledge of probiotic mechanisms, indications, and safety; attitudes toward probiotic therapy; and current practices in probiotic administration during enteral feeding. Results: A total of 935 ICU HCPs participated. Overall knowledge was insufficient, with only 33.2% achieving high knowledge scores (mean: 12.4/18 points), whereas attitudes were moderately favorable, with 35.5% demonstrating positive attitudes (mean: 23.9/30 points). A majority of respondents (58.7%) reported recommending or prescribing probiotics, most frequently clinical dietitians (84.5%). KAP varied significantly by profession, age group, and years of experience (p < 0.01). The most reported barriers were a lack of information about available probiotic products (73.2%), limited knowledge (41.2%), limited availability of clinically proven products (37.8%), and cost concerns (29.7%). Conclusions: Although ICU HCPs show interest and cautious acceptance of probiotics in enteral feeding, knowledge gaps, attitudinal variability, and practice inconsistencies persist across disciplines. These findings highlight the critical need for targeted, multidisciplinary educational interventions and the development of standardized, evidence-based institutional protocols to optimize probiotic use and improve patient outcomes.