Home Enteral Nutrition in Adults: Effectiveness of Nutritional Therapy and Educational Programme

Purpose: Home Enteral Nutrition (HEN) is used to prevent or correct malnutrition in outpatients. Due to the complexity of this process, the indication, follow-up, and results of an educational programme of HEN patients was evaluated. Methods: A prospective, observational, real-life, multicentre study of patients receiving HEN by nasogastric tube or ostomy in 21 hospitals was conducted. The following variables were collected: age, gender, HEN indication, type of formula, nutritional requirements, laboratory variables, complications, and quality standards of the educational programme. All data were analysed using SPSS.24. Results: 414 patients were included. Most conditions diagnosed were neurodegenerative diseases (64.8%). 100 patients (25.3%) were diabetic. The mean weight was 59.3±10.4kg and BMI 22.6±3.2. Moderate protein-calorie malnutrition was predominant at baseline (46.4%). Improvement in nutritional status at six months was recorded in more than 75% of patients (p<0.05). Tolerance problems, diarrhoea and abdominal distension fell between the 3- and 6-month visits (p <0.05). Patients who received intermittent Enteral Nutrition (EN) had fewer tolerance-related effects (OR: 0.042; 95% CI: 0.006-0.279) and less diarrhoea (OR: 0.042; 95% CI: 0.006-0.279), while those who received EN via nasogastric tube had fewer tolerance-related effects (OR: 0.042; 95% CI: 0.006-0.279). At the baseline and 6-month visits, compliance with the educational measures proposed by the prescriber was ≥ 99%. Conclusion: The nutritional assessment to prescribe individualised HEN to each patient, together with educational measures and training in the proper use of this treatment for both patients and trainers, improves nutritional status and reduces the onset of adverse reactions.