Knowledge Level of ICU Nurses Regarding Nutritional Assessment of Critically Ill Patients: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Nutritional assessment on admission of critical patients is of vital importance to determine critical patients in whom there is a risk of malnutrition. Currently, it has been detected in most of the patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) that 60% of the daily calories are not achieved. Nurses play an essential role in the comprehensive assessment of the patient, including the nutritional area; however, significant deficits have been detected in some knowledge regarding Enteral Nutrition (EN). OBJECTIVE: We aim to determine the level of knowledge of nurses in the nutritional assessment of critically ill patients. METHODOLOGY: A systematic review of the scientific literature was conducted using the PRISMA statement. Between January 2017 and February 2023, articles were rescued from the electronic databases "Pubmed", "Scopus" and "The Cochrane Library", which analyzed the level of knowledge of ICU nurses regarding nutritional assessment. RESULTS: Most of the results found showed that nurses had deficient levels of knowledge in relation to nutritional assessment and practices. Interventions related to nutritional assessment were scarce, in contrast to those associated with the management of Nasogastric Tube (NGT) or patient positioning. CONCLUSIONS: The level of knowledge described was low or inadequate in relation to the care associated with the nutritional assessment of critically ill patients. The use of scales to assess the risk of malnutrition was not reported. This study was prospectively registered at PROSPERO on 25/10/2023 (insert date) with registration number CRD: 42023426924.

Importance of nutritional assessment tools in the critically ill patient: A systematic review.

Background: Among the risks of the critically ill patient, one of the aspects to be taken into account is the high probability of occurrence of malnutrition risk (40-50%). This process leads to increased morbimortality and worsening. The use of assessment tools allows the individualization of care. Objective: To analyze the different nutritional assessment tools used during the admission of critically ill patients. Methods: Systematic review of the scientific literature related to the nutritional assessment of critically ill patients. Between January 2017 and February 2022, articles were rescued from the electronic databases "Pubmed," "Scopus," "CINAHL" and "The Cochrane Library"; which will analyze which instruments are used during nutritional assessment in the ICU, as well as their impact on mortality and comorbidity of patients. Results: The systematic review was made up of 14 scientific articles that met the selection criteria, obtained from seven different countries. The instruments described were: mNUTRIC, NRS 2002, NUTRIC, SGA, MUST and the ASPEN and ASPEN criteria. All the included studies demonstrated beneficial effects after nutritional risk assessment. mNUTRIC was the most widely used assessment instrument, with the best predictive validity for mortality and adverse outcomes. Conclusion: The use of nutritional assessment tools makes it possible to know the real situation of patients, and by objectifying situations, to allow different interventions to improve the nutritional level of patients. The best effectiveness has been achieved using tools such as mNUTRIC, NRS 2002 and SGA.

Qualitative Analysis by Experts of the Essential Elements of the Nursing Practice Environments Proposed by the TOP10 Questionnaire of Assessment of Environments in Primary Health Care.

Background: A short TOP10 scale based on the Practice Environment Scale-Nursing Work Index questionnaire measures the characteristics of nursing work environments. Positive environments result in better quality care and health outcomes. Objective: To identify a small number of core elements that would facilitate more effective interventions by nurse managers, and compare them with the essential elements proposed by the TOP10. Method: Qualitative research by a nominal group of eight experts. The content analysis was combined with descriptive data. Results: Ten most important items were selected and analyzed by the expert group. A high level of consensus in four items (2, 15, 20, 31) and an acceptable consensus in five items was reached (6, 11, 14, 18, 26). The tenth item in the top ten was selected from content analysis (19). The expert group agreed 90% with the elements selected as essential to the TOP10. Conclusion: The expert group achieved a high level of consensus that supports 90% of the essential elements of primary care settings proposed by the TOP10 questionnaire. Organizational changes implemented by managers to improve working environments must be prioritized following our results, so care delivery and health outcomes can be further improved.

Results of Nurse Case Management in Primary Heath Care: Bibliographic Review.

BACKGROUND: The new characteristics of today's population, together with the presence of chronic diseases in the elderly, require a new approach to care, promoting coordination between different levels of care. In this sense, we find the figure of the nurse case manager (NCM) in primary health care mainly responsible for ensuring continuity of care in complex patients with chronic diseases. OBJECTIVE: to describe the role of the NCM in care management, determining its effectiveness in addressing chronic disease (health outcomes and quality of life) and its efficiency in the health system. METHODS: Bibliographic review of scientific evidence on case management applied to nursing. Between March and April 2020 a bibliographic search was carried out in the Dialnet, Scielo, Scopus and Pubmed databases. INCLUSION CRITERIA: articles written in the last 5 years, which analyze how this nursing rol influences the care and health of patients. RESULTS: A total of 16 articles were selected. The NCM reduced the use of the emergency department, hospital admissions, readmissions, and the duration of these in the patients studied. CONCLUSION: The NCM is effective and efficient for both patients and health institutions, and a common practice model is needed that includes standardized protocols and evidence-based practices.