Indications for intravenous nutrition in a regional hospital.
Intravenous nutrition is increasingly used in hospital practice but may be inappropriate and costly when used by inexperienced personnel. The records of 86 patients who received 891 days of intravenous nutrition in Palmerston North Hospital, a 600 bed regional hospital, during 1984 were reviewed. The pharmacy total cost was established to be +104,000. Deficiencies were found in patient selection for intravenous nutrition. The cost of inappropriate or unnecessary intravenous nutrition was estimated to be +32,000 in 48 patients. This excess cost may be reducible by a nutrition support team.
Hicks
P R
PR
Palmerston North Hospital.
D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D005260:Female; D005526:Food, Formulated; D006746:Hospital Bed Capacity, 500 and over; D006779:Hospitals, Public; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009520:New Zealand; D010288:Parenteral Nutrition / Q000191:economics*