Nutrition intervention in ICU improves outcomes.
Enteral feedings within three days can reduce length of time on a ventilator and improve outcomes for critically ill patients. Such feedings, which cost only about $80 per day, could save Medicare as much as $1.08 billion from 1996 to 2002, according to a study by Washington, DC-based KPMG Peat Marwick. A concerted effort to disseminate these findings led 66% of nurses at a California hospital to change their practice regarding early nutrition support.
D019985:Benchmarking; D002140:California; D017046:Cost Savings; D003422:Critical Care; D002149:Energy Intake; D004750:Enteral Nutrition; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards*; D009738:Nursing Service, Hospital; D009751:Nutritional Requirements; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D016896:Treatment Outcome