Introduction: Critically ill patients treated in the intensive care unit are at high risk of
malnutrition. Therefore, nutritional support is essential to meet their nutritional needs.
Malnutrition is associated with a reduced immune response, impaired wound healing, and
muscle weakness, which can lead to prolonged hospitalization and increased risk of
infection, organ failure, and death. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to emphasize the
importance of nutrition for critically ill patients and the role of the nurse in this context,
based on nutritional guidelines. Methods: In the thesis, a descriptive method was used,
reviewing professional and scientific literature in Slovenian and English related to the topic.
The literature was searched in databases PubMed/Medline and Cinahl Ultimate. The search
was limited to articles published from 2014 to 2024, accessible in full text, and available
through the digital library of the University of Ljubljana. Results: We reviewed
recommendations for ensuring safe and effective enteral feeding of a patient by a nurse in
the intensive care unit. Nutritional therapy can affect the occurrence of hyperglycemia,
which needs to be monitored and controlled. It can also lead to injuries caused by the
pressure of the nasogastric tube, emphasizing the need for preventive measures, We
compared tools for nutritional screening and assessment and found that the modified
NUTRIC tool is a good substitute for the original NUTRIC tool, while the NRS-2002 proved
to be better at predicting mortality in the intensive care unit, though it has limitations in its
use for intensive care patients. Discussion and conclusion: For the safe and effective
provision of feeding and nutrition, it is important to follow modern guidelines in this field,
thereby reducing the risk of serious complications and even death, while also improving the
care and quality of life for critically ill patients.
|
