Abstract
Background
Home parenteral nutrition (HPN) is essential in providing nutrition and hydration to appropriately selected patients who cannot receive adequate oral or enteral nutrition. This study investigated the implementation of HPN at our institution, following our standardized operating procedures (SOP) and the utilization of the Port-A auxiliary device model.
Methods
This was a retrospective observational study that enrolled adult and pediatric patients undergoing HPN. The patients were supervised by the Nutrition Therapy Team of a single institution from January 2020 to December 2022.
Results
Results indicated substantial improvements in operational efficiency and patient outcomes. Specifically, the integration of our hospital’s SOP and the use of the auxiliary device led to a notable reduction in nursing workload hours in terms of providing HPN education (mean reduction of 36.2 hours) and shortened patient hospital stays (mean reduction of 2.9 days), suggesting that these interventions can lead to a streamlined, efficient, and safe HPN administration. Furthermore, the HPN protocol of our institution led to significant direct and indirect cost savings, signifying its potential to alleviate the financial burden of Taiwan’s healthcare system. Lastly, HPN at our institution is safe, with the incidences of adverse events of special interest generally showing a decreasing trend during the study period.
Conclusions
The study demonstrates that integrating the SOP of Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital and using the Port-A auxiliary device for HPN therapy substantially enhances operational efficiency, cost savings, and patient outcomes.