Protocolo assistencial para o manejo da diarreia em pacientes adultos e idosos em uso de terapia nutricional enteral

Abstract

Introduction: Diarrhea is a common complication in hospitalized patients receiving enteral nutrition therapy (ENT), potentially compromising nutritional status and clinical outcomes. Its causes are multifactorial, and structured clinical protocols can standardize approaches, reduce risks, and improve multidisciplinary care for decision-making. Objective: To develop a protocol to standardize approaches for managing diarrhea in hospitalized adult patients receiving enteral nutrition therapy (ENT). Method: This methodological study was based on a review of national and international guidelines, scientific articles, and current care practices to develop a multidisciplinary care protocol for managing diarrhea in adult and elderly patients hospitalized in a public, tertiary, teaching hospital. Results: The protocol was developed using the World Health Organization (WHO) definition to standardize the concept of diarrhea and contains guidelines for identifying causal factors of diarrhea, nutritional and pharmacological approaches, patient monitoring, and a detailed flowchart for standardizing care approaches by the multidisciplinary team. Conclusion: The proposed protocol could be a valuable tool to guide the multidisciplinary team in choosing care approaches for managing diarrhea in hospitalized patients receiving ENT. Its implementation will contribute to standardizing approaches, preventing nutritional complications, and improving patient safety and clinical outcomes. Future research is needed to validate and implement these approaches in clinical practice.