How do physicians and nurses differ in their perceived barriers to effective enteral nutrition in the intensive care unit?

BACKGROUND: Patients hospitalized in intensive care units are susceptible to chronic malnutrition from changes in protein and energy metabolism in response to trauma. Therefore, nutritional support, especially enteral nutrition, is one of the most important treatment measures for these patients. However, there are several barriers in the hospitals in treating patients with enteral nutrition. This study was performed to compare the perceptions of care providers (physicians and nurses) on the barriers to enteral nutrition in intensive care units. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional descriptive and analytic study. This study included 263 nurses and 104 physicians in the intensive care units of Kerman University of Medical sciences, in south east of Iran. A questionnaire of enteral nutrition barriers in intensive care units was used. IBM SPSS ver. 19 was used to analyze data. RESULTS: There was a significant difference between the two groups in the three subscales of intensive care units (P=0.034), dietician support (P<0.001) and critical care provider attitudes and behavior (P=0.031). There was also a significant difference between having completed educational courses and the score of enteral nutrition barriers in the two groups (P<0.05); the people who received an educational course had a better perception of enteral nutrition barriers. CONCLUSIONS: Physicians and nurses agreed with the perception of enteral nutrition barriers, but there was a difference in their perception on some barriers. Strategies such as in-service training and increasing the knowledge and skills of physicians and nurses can reduce these differences.