Avaliação das competências da equipe de enfermagem sobre terapia de nutrição enteral em uma unidade de pronto atendimento

Abstract

The organism needs daily nutrients that provide energy and substrate for the maintenance of physiological reactions that maintain homeostasis and human life. The growing interest of health professionals in nutrition is due to the recognition that it is important as an adjuvant and even primary therapy in several diseases. Thus, malnutrition is a continuous process that begins with inadequate nutrient intake and perpetuates itself with metabolic and functional changes. Its high incidence in hospitalized patients has been noted since the 1970s, and the association between malnutrition and increased morbidity and mortality has been proven. Therefore, nutritional support becomes a fundamental item of medical therapy, where enteral nutrition is the first intervention option. The decision to initiate nutritional therapy in the patient involves several phases that establish the attributions of each professional. The nursing team is responsible for the maintenance and safety of the administration route, the preservation of enteral nutrition until the moment of administration within strict principles of asepsis, patient monitoring and participation in the selection and standardization of equipment for administration. Thus, this research aimed to assess the skills of the nursing team on enteral nutrition therapy provided in an Emergency Care Unit. Therefore, a transversal, observational and quantitative approach research was carried out. As a result of the observation, gaps in knowledge and care practice in enteral nutrition were identified by the nursing team, which requires educational and mobilizing strategies to improve the quality of comprehensive care.