Baxter and ASPEN Announce Collaboration to Help Reduce Malnutrition Through Appropriate Use of Parenteral Nutrition Therapy
New ASPEN Parenteral Nutrition Appropriate Use Recommendations Designed to Help Improve Patient Outcomes
Malnourished Patients in U.S. Hospitals are 54 Percent More Likely to be Readmitted; Have Five Times Higher Risk of Death
New Educational Resources Available to Help Promote Clinical Benefits, Minimize Risks of Parenteral Nutrition Therapy
Deerfield, Ill. and Silver Spring, Md., -
Today the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN), an organization which drives the science and practice of clinical nutrition, and Baxter International Inc. (NYSE: BAX), a global leader in nutrition therapy, announced “SmartPN,” a comprehensive collaboration providing healthcare professionals with educational tools on the appropriate use of parenteral nutrition (PN) therapy. PN is the intravenous administration of nourishment to those who cannot eat or absorb enough food to maintain good nutrition.1 This nourishment may include protein, carbohydrate, fat, minerals, electrolytes, vitamins and other trace elements. PN plays a critical role in helping reduce malnutrition and achieve better possible health outcomes.
The educational resources included in SmartPN are based on new consensus recommendations issued by ASPEN, which are intended to help promote clinical benefits and minimize risks associated with PN. The campaign is designed for physicians, pharmacists, dietitians, nurses and other clinicians—all part of the critical team influencing patient nutritional care. Resources will include webinars, data visualizations, interactive tools, videos and more, all of which will be available at www.nutritioncare.org/SmartPN/.
“Recent publications highlight an unmet need for PN—particularly in certain acute and critical care settings—and clinical benefits for patients who receive PN in specific situations,” said Mary Russell, MS, RDN, LDN, FAND, senior manager, Medical Affairs, Baxter, and President-Elect, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “As a leader in nutrition care, it’s important for us to work with highly respected organizations like ASPEN to help increase awareness about the crucial importance of nutrition care and help clinicians most effectively administer this potential life-saving and life-sustaining therapy to patients.”
PN is an important therapy used in adults, children and infants to help address a variety of indications.2 Adult hospitalizations with a diagnosis of malnutrition can lead to longer hospital stays, more comorbidities and have five times the likelihood of death compared with other adult hospital stays.3 Hospital stays involving malnutrition are also associated with higher costs, with up to approximately $25,000 per patient for the most common form of malnutrition, and accounting for nearly $42 billion or 12.1 percent of aggregate, non-maternal, non-neonatal healthcare costs.3
"Our understanding of how critically ill patients benefit from nutritional therapy continues to evolve. As it does, we must ensure healthcare teams carefully evaluate the nutritional status of those they care for and provide appropriate care, whether oral, enteral or PN,” said Peggi Guenter, PhD, RN, FAAN, FASPEN, senior director of clinical practice, quality and advocacy, ASPEN. “Educational resources available as part of this campaign will help to inform and support decisions related to PN by helping identify best practices, reduce variations in practice and ultimately enhance patient safety.”
In addition to providing education about PN appropriateness, both ASPEN and Baxter are committed to raising awareness about the potential consequences of disease-related malnutrition and the importance of early diagnosis and treatment. ASPEN offers a comprehensive Malnutrition Solution Center online for healthcare providers, patients, and caregivers to learn how to recognize and manage disease-related malnutrition. Healthcare providers also can learn more at Baxter’s Nutrition Academy online, which provides some practical guidance on how and when to implement PN in order to help make it accessible to more patients with nutritional deficits.
About ASPEN
The American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN) is dedicated to improving patient care by advancing the science and practice of nutrition support therapy and metabolism. Founded in 1976, ASPEN is an interdisciplinary organization whose members are involved in the provision of clinical nutrition therapies, including parenteral and enteral nutrition. With more than 6,500 members from around the world, ASPEN is a community of dietitians, nurses, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, physicians, scientists, students and other health professionals from every facet of nutrition support clinical practice, research and education. For more information about ASPEN, please visit www.nutritioncare.org.
About Baxter
Baxter provides a broad portfolio of essential renal and hospital products, including home, acute and in-center dialysis; sterile IV solutions; infusion systems and devices; parenteral nutrition; surgery products and anesthetics; and pharmacy automation, software and services. The company’s global footprint and the critical nature of its products and services play a key role in expanding access to healthcare in emerging and developed countries. Baxter’s employees worldwide are building upon the company’s rich heritage of medical breakthroughs to advance the next generation of healthcare innovations that enable patient care.
Baxter is a registered trademark of Baxter International Inc.