Nutritional Therapy and Diet Types
This nursing role includes monitoring intake, supporting special diets, assisting with feeding, and reporting nutrition concerns.
The nurse's role in nutritional therapy
This diet contains foods that are blended to a smooth, pudding-like texture.
A pureed diet
Poor intake, weight loss, muscle wasting, weakness, and delayed healing may indicate this nutrition problem.
Malnutrition
This type of feeding may be needed when a patient cannot safely or independently eat enough by mouth.
Assisted feeding
This tube is inserted through the nose, down the esophagus, and into the stomach.
A nasogastric or NG tube
This diet includes foods that are liquid at room temperature, such as broth, gelatin, and clear juices.
A clear liquid diet
This diet includes soft foods that are chopped, ground, or altered to make chewing easier.
A mechanically altered diet
Diabetes, renal disease, heart disease, hypertension, wounds, and gastrointestinal disorders may benefit from this.
Nutritional therapy
This type of feeding delivers nutrition through a tube into the gastrointestinal tract.
Tube feeding or enteral feeding
When managing tube feeding, the nurse should verify tube placement, elevate the head of bed, check orders, and monitor this.
Tolerance to feeding
This diet includes clear liquids plus milk, cream soups, pudding, custard, and ice cream.
A full liquid diet
This diet is a step between modified-texture diets and a regular diet as the patient’s chewing and swallowing improve.
An advanced diet
A patient with hypertension or heart failure may be prescribed a diet lower in this mineral.
Sodium
Before assisting with meals, the nurse should position the patient upright to reduce the risk of this.
Aspiration
This type of parenteral nutrition is given through a peripheral vein for short-term nutritional support.
Peripheral parenteral nutrition or PPN
A clear liquid diet is usually used for short periods because it is low in this.
Calories, protein, and nutrients
This diet has no special texture changes or restrictions unless otherwise ordered.
A regular diet
A patient with diabetes may need teaching about meal timing, carbohydrate choices, and this.
Blood glucose control
During assisted feeding, the nurse should offer small bites, allow time to chew and swallow, and observe for this.
Signs of choking or aspiration
This type of parenteral nutrition is given through a central venous catheter and provides more complete nutrition.
Total parenteral nutrition or TPN
A full liquid diet provides more nutrition than a clear liquid diet but may still need this if used for a long time.
Supplementation
Patients with dysphagia may need texture changes and thickened liquids to reduce the risk of this.
Aspiration
Adequate protein, calories, vitamins, and minerals are especially important for patients with this problem.
Wounds or pressure injuries
Tube feedings may be used when the GI tract works but the patient cannot meet nutritional needs by this route.
Oral intake
Aspiration, diarrhea, tube displacement, infection, fluid imbalance, and blood glucose changes are possible examples of these.
Complications of nutritional support