PD077 - SIX-YEAR TRENDS IN OUTPATIENT HOME ENTERAL NUTRITION UTILIZATION, RECORDED EXPENDITURE, AND PATIENT PROFILE, WITH AN EXPLORATORY FORECAST FOR 2026–2028

PD077

SIX-YEAR TRENDS IN OUTPATIENT HOME ENTERAL NUTRITION UTILIZATION, RECORDED EXPENDITURE, AND PATIENT PROFILE, WITH AN EXPLORATORY FORECAST FOR 2026–2028

N. Nunes^1,*, C. Candeias², A. Coelho³

¹Nutrição, ²Farmácia, Unidade Local de Saúde Arrábida, Setúbal, ³CHRC, Universidade de Évora, Évora, Portugal

Rationale: Home enteral nutrition (HEN) is increasingly delivered through outpatient models, supporting continuity of nutritional therapy while reducing reliance on inpatient resources. We aimed to describe 2020–2025 trends in outpatient HEN activity and recorded expenditure, add a basic patient characterization, and perform a short exploratory forecast for 2026–2028.

Methods: Retrospective observational study using outpatient enteral nutrition records from a Portuguese National Health Service hospital between 2020 and 2025. Outcomes were total units and recorded expenditure (€). Patient profile was described using yearly unique process identifiers.

As a secondary exploratory analysis, a monthly forecast from 2026-2028 was generated using ordinary least squares with a linear time trend and month-of-year fixed effects; 2025 was used as a holdout for model selection. 

Results: From 2020 to 2025, 33,997 units were recorded with total recorded expenditure of €79,181. Annual volume increased from 3,581 units (2020) to 9,134 (2025) (+155%). The number of treated patients increased from 25 to 54 (+116%), with 129 unique patients identified across the period. Pediatric proxy patients accounted for 20.0% of treated patients in 2020, peaked in 2022–2023 (36.4% and 32.3%), and declined to 13.0% in 2025. Exploratory forecast: projected annual volume increased from 9,804 units (2026) to 12,169 (2028), corresponding to ~33% growth vs 2025; projected recorded expenditure rose from €26,192 (2026) to €33,618 (2028), to be interpreted cautiously given recording limitations.

Conclusion: Outpatient HEN activity and the number of treated patients increased substantially over 2020–2025. The exploratory forecasts suggest continued growth through 2028, supporting the need for ongoing monitoring and capacity planning in outpatient nutritional care.

Disclosure of Interest: None declared