Establishing an enteral product formulary
Ford, D.B.; Bergerson, S.L.; Henderson, P.; Murphy, J.; Peter, J.
Journal of the American Dietetic Association 89(5): 681-683
1989
ISSN/ISBN: 0002-8223 PMID: 2498416 Document Number: 333107
An ever-increasing number of enteral nutrition products is being marketed to hospitals for use with nutritionally compromised patients. At the Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, the nutrition department created a formulary management committee, which developed a system that aligned formulary product selection with the enteral needs of the patients, provided an ongoing system of formulary management, and provided extensive education to dietitians on product formulation. The formulary system involved a stepwise process: determination of categories of products to be considered and criteria for product selection, identification of enteral needs of patients at nutritional risk within the institution, review of current literature on formulation of all major enteral products, and taste evaluation of products to be used orally. Composition of the formulary was then determined, and interdepartmental efforts for implementation were coordinated. The overall departmental impact included a 37% reduction in variety of products stocked, the creation of an annual update system, and extensive dietitian education on product formulation and usage. The direct impact on patient care was the provision of a formulary specifically targeted to meet the enteral needs of those patients at nutritional risk within the institution.