title: [Neonatal parenteral nutrition prescription practices in Portugal].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The use of guidelines for neonatal parenteral nutrition (PN) improves its clinical efficiency and the safety of prescription.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the practices of neonatal parenteral nutrition prescription in Portugal, and the adherence to the National Consensus on neonatal PN (2008).
  
  
  METHODS
  A questionnaire based on a multiple choice response on parenteral nutrition prescription was conducted, and sent to the coordinators of the 50 public and private Portuguese neonatal special care units, 25 being level III and 25 level II.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Parenteral nutrition was prescribed in 32 neonatal units, 23 of which (71.9%) responded to the questionnaire. Of the respondents, 19 (82.6%) refer to follow the National Consensus, the remaining following local guidelines; 17 (73.9%) of units referred to using an electronic based system for prescription. In preterm neonates, most mentioned: administering judiciously the fluid intake during the first post-natal week; starting amino acids from the first post-natal day with 1.5-3g/kg/d, increasing up to 3-4g/kg/d; starting lipids from the first three post-natal days with 1g/kg/d, increasing up to 3g/kg/d; administering 40-70mg/kg/d of calcium and of phosphorus with the fixed calcium:phosphorus ratio of 1.7: 1 (mg:mg); and estimating the osmolality of the solutions, and weekly monitoring of serum triglycerides, blood urea, serum phosphorus and liver function.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The high response rate is probably representative of the practice of PN prescription in Portugal. Most of the units used the National Consensus on neonatal PN as a reference, thus contributing to better nutritional support for neonates.
authors.affiliation: Servicios Farmacéuticos, Hospital da Luz, Lisboa, Portugal.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Neves
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos Neonatales, Hospital de Dona Estefânia, Centro Hospitalar de Lisboa Central, Lisboa, Portugal; Departamento de Pediatría, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nova de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pereira-da-Silva
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Farmacia Social, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal. Electronic address: f-llimos@ff.ul.pt.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fernandez-Llimos
mesh_terms: D019983:Guideline Adherence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D010288:Parenteral Nutrition; D011174:Portugal; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D055656:Prescriptions / Q000592:standards*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Nutrición parenteral neonatal; Parenteral nutrition; Portugal; Prescripción; Prescription