P470 - DURATION OF PARENTERAL NUTRITION AS A SCREENING INDICATOR OF QUALITY IN CLINICAL PRACTICE

P470

DURATION OF PARENTERAL NUTRITION AS A SCREENING INDICATOR OF QUALITY IN CLINICAL PRACTICE

I. Papier¹, I. Ran², I. Elad², H. Bar Yoseph³, I. Chermesh^3,3,*

¹nursing, ²Department of Clinical Nutrition, ³gastroenterology, Rambam health care campus, haifa, Israel

Rationale: Parenteral Nutrition (PN) is essential for patients unable to meet nutritional requirements via the gastrointestinal tract. Its administration requires specialized clinical expertise and multidisciplinary oversight. According to ESPEN guidelines, dedicated PN teams enhance the quality and safety of therapy. At our 1,000-bed tertiary hospital, the PN team comprises physicians, a surgeon, dietitians, a nurse, and pharmacists. While PN can be lifesaving, it carries risks and high costs, necessitating prudent use. Notably, PN may be avoidable in patients who can tolerate insufficient enteral intake for up to seven days. As part of a quality assessment of PN practices, we hypothesized that PN courses lasting ≤7 days may reflect overuse. A 20% threshold was set: <20% may suggest undertreatment, >20% overtreatment. The aim of this study was to determine the proportion of adult inpatients receiving PN for seven days or less

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted using electronic medical records of adult patients discharged between January and March 2025 who received PN. ICU patients were excluded due to a separate documentation system.

Results: Eighty-one patients met the inclusion criteria (mean age 58.7 years, median 61.8). PN was administered for ≤7 days in 56% (45/81). Department-specific rates were: internal medicine 64%, general surgery 63%, other departments 50%, and hematology 40%. PN durations of 8–14 and ≥15 days occurred in 26% and 19% of patients, respectively. Interdepartmental differences approached statistical significance (p = 0.0522).

Conclusion: The finding that over half of PN courses lasted ≤7 days, exceeding the predefined 20% threshold, suggests potential overuse. These results underscore the need for careful evaluation of PN indications and the development of strategies to enhance the appropriateness and quality of PN initiation

Disclosure of Interest: None declared