Feeding of hospitalised children, how important is it?

Abstract

Malnutrition among hospitalised children, although an under-recognised entity has a vital impact on patient outcomes, In Paediatric Intensive Care Units, malnutrition is often not recognised and not treated properly, which may lead to bad outcomes. A detailed history and clinical examination alone is inadequate for accurate evaluation of malnutrition and an accurate anthropometric assessment is essential. A combination of poor food intake and the severity of disease are good predictors of poor nutrition status in children and fundamental corrective steps with this regard will aid in early recovery. Hence, feeding of hospitalised children should be considered a priority as a part of critical care. Two types of nutritional support are practiced (i) enteral nutrition (EN) and (ii) parenteral nutrition. Early EN is preferred because of many advantages such as earlier gut function, lesser infections, low cost, and short duration of hospital stay. This article aims to provide an outline for assessing nutrition and providing nutritional support in hospitalised children.