Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Parenteral nutrition, usually indicated for preterm infants with a birthweight<1500 g and sick newborns, enables the supply with critical nutrients. As a high degree of therapy safety is required, a European guideline provides recommendations for safe therapy procedures. The present project aimed to evaluate the implementation of the European guideline in German perinatal centers and to identify possible barriers that impede its implementation. A further goal was to develop solution approaches to overcome possible barriers. METHODS AND RESULTS: A multidisciplinary cooperation conducted an online survey questioning the current implementation procedures of the European guideline among pediatricians and hospital pharmacists. Results show barriers in the provisioning process of parenteral nutrition that hinder a guideline-compliant implementation in practice. Based on results of this survey, an expert network developed an interactive toolkit with simplified guideline recommendations, guideline-compliant advice for practice, best-practice examples, forms, and handouts. It seeks to encourage critical reflection of routine processes and provides concrete solutions to overcome barriers in practice. CONCLUSION: The current procedures related to parenteral nutrition deviate from guideline recommendations. The developed toolkit provides practice-oriented support aiming to enhance the guideline-compliant implementation of parenteral nutrition in perinatal centers.