Nutrition Support Team Oversight and Appropriateness of Parenteral Nutrition in Hospitalized Adults: A Systematic Review

Abstract Inappropriate parenteral nutrition (PN) administration often occurs in hospitalized patients, increasing the risk of complications. Nutrition support teams (NSTs) regulate and approve PN use in some hospitals. This systematic review examined whether appropriateness of PN use in hospitalized adult patients increased under NST oversight. Ten databases were searched systematically to select studies from 2004 to 2020 that analyzed appropriateness of PN use in adult hospitalized patients under NST oversight. Studies were included if appropriateness of PN was examined and NSTs were involved in PN orders or recommendations. Studies were evaluated using the Quality Criteria Checklist from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Evidence Analysis Library. Nine studies were included in the final analysis. One received a positive rating on the quality checklist, whereas 8 received a neutral rating. Inappropriate PN use varied from 4.3% to 18%. Two studies compared PN use between multiple hospitals, both with and without NSTs. Two compared appropriateness before and after NST implementation, whereas another 2 studies compared it before and after NST restructuring. Three studies examined appropriateness of PN with NST oversight at a single facility with no control group. Overall, NSTs were associated with decreased incidence of inappropriate PN use. No studies were randomized, and several did not describe demographics between groups. Although NSTs appear to decrease inappropriate PN use, the results are limited because of study design or reporting. Future studies should monitor and evaluate clinical outcomes, such as mortality, and utilize more rigorous methodologies.