Enteral Nutrition for Older Adults in Nursing Facilities

Older adults who reside in nursing facilities tend to be frail and to have multiple comorbidities, increased risk of unintended weight loss, and protein energy malnutrition. Approximately 5.8% of nursing facility residents in the United States receive enteral feedings. The prevalence is higher for residents with cognitive impairment, ranging from 18% to 34%. In cognitively impaired residents, the majority of tube feeding placements occur in the acute care setting and result in significant use of additional healthcare resources and high postinsertion mortality rates within 60 days of insertion. Nursing facilities must abide by state and federal regulations and undergo stringent survey evaluation while balancing complex decisions related to initial placement of feeding tubes. Informed choice, resident-centered care decisions, and the role of advance directives are essential in the decision-making process. In nursing facilities, it is often the registered dietitian who alerts the healthcare team to determine whether a feeding tube is appropriate. Once a tube is placed, healthcare practitioners must make careful decisions related to ordering, administering, and monitoring enteral nutrition (EN) delivery; adequacy of nutritional content; tolerance to feedings; monitoring for potential complications; and the possibility of return to oral feeding or, conversely, the decision to discontinue feedings. Further evidence-based research is needed to document effectiveness, along with research to support positive outcomes for residents in nursing facilities who receive EN. Optimal care requires careful coordination and an interdisciplinary approach across the continuum of care and between caregivers within the individual nursing facility. (Nutr Clin Pract. 2011;26:261-272)