Quality indicators of enteral nutrition therapy for cancer patients: frequency of diarrhea and constipation

• Grant number: 13/02463-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: May 01, 2013
• End date: December 31, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Nutrition
• Principal Investigator: Dan Linetzky Waitzberg
• Grantee: Ariana Lee
• Host Institution: Instituto do Câncer do Estado de São Paulo Octavio Frias de Oliveira (ICESP). Coordenadoria de Serviços de Saúde (CSS). Secretaria da Saúde (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Cancer patients are more susceptible to weight loss and body tissues, which combined with treatment, may contribute to malnutrition. The high prevalence of gastrointestinal complications such as diarrhea and constipation can aggravate these processes as well as the location, the type of tumor, presence, and duration of symptoms. Diarrhea can also be related to microbiological contamination of the diet, infusion rate, administered volume, age of the individual, and period of hospitalization. Enteral Nutrition Therapy (ENT) is often associated with the occurrence of diarrhea. This occurrence may create changes in treatment, increase hospital cost and time and thus become an important quality indicator of patients' life with cancer. In the same way, monitoring the occurrence of constipation is important for the prognosis of the disease in critically ill patients. The study aims to evaluate the frequency of diarrhea and constipation registry in patients in ENT of the Cancer Institute of the State of São Paulo (ICESP), before and after training through the construction and evaluation of quality indicators in Nutritional Therapy (NT), determining its effectiveness and promoting elucidation on the quality of NT in a Center of Excellence in Cancer Treatment. After first analysis will be promoted training to the healthcare team and again the indicators will be collected. The results will be analyzed through goals proposed by the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) before and after training and will be disclosed the institutional protocols prepared by the Multidisciplinary Team of Nutritional Therapy (MTNT) of ICESP, which deals with the management of diarrhea and constipation in cancer patients. (AU)