Standardizing and optimizing nutrition evaluation frequency of enterally fed patients in an ambulatory pediatric gastroenterology practice: A single-center study

Background: Nutrition monitoring is essential in feeding tube–dependent patients receiving home enteral nutrition (HEN). We identified lack of consistency in dietitian evaluations for our pediatric patients receiving HEN. Consequently, after establishing an institutional standard for nutrition reassessment intervals, we underwent a quality improvement (QI) initiative to improve rates of adherence to standard frequency of dietitian consults and referrals among patients receiving HEN. Methods: A prospective QI initiative from April 2021 to December 2021 was performed using multiple plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycles. Interventions included (1) a reminder placard, (2) the display of feeding tube status and date of the last dietitian note in the electronic health record (EHR) clinic schedule dashboard, and (3) an autotext smart element to the EHR default clinic note template. The goal was to enable clinicians to quickly identify the need for nutrition evaluation with either a same-day dietitian consult or a referral to nutrition clinic. Results: Among 111 HEN patients with >6 months since last nutrition encounter, the dietitian referral/consult rate prior to any interventions was 58%. The placard (PDSA 1) was abandoned before obtaining reportable data because of sampling bias and clinic workflow inefficiencies. The clinic schedule dashboard modification (PDSA 2) improved the dietitian referral/consult rate to 66%. Subsequently, the clinic note smart element (PDSA 3) increased the rate to 77%. An 8-week postintervention check revealed a compliance rate of 78%. Conclusion: Implementation of minimally interruptive EHR enhancements showed a sustained increase in dietitian referrals and consults for patients receiving HEN, which may improve nutrition outcomes.