An investigation into the need and feasibility of a volume-based enteral feeding protocol on neurosurgical wards

Abstract

Adequate nutritional intake is vital in the recovery process for neurosurgical patients and enteral feeding is often required to achieve this I. The purpose of this study was to assess if patients on neurosurgical wards miss feed targets due to interruptions in feeding times and the potential feasibility of introducing volume-based feeding to optimise nutritional intake for this patient group i.e., setting a goal volume to receive over a 24-hour period rather than the traditional rate-based approach.