Nutrition-Based Home Care

Abstract

Provision of artificial nutrition in the home is often necessary and hasbecome a routine part of caring for patients with a variety ofdisorders. Indications for these therapies in the home do not differfrom the hospital. The cost of these life-sustaining therapies, botheconomic and to quality of life, is substantial. Complications, whileless often life-threatening, can be serious and include problems dueboth to the infusion or instillation of artificial nutrition, and to thetechniques required to provide access. Lifespan is most often limited bythe patient's underlying disease and not the nutrition support-relatedcomplications, but there are disease-specific considerations in applyingthese therapies. These issues are reviewed herein.