| Abstract: |
This article helps dietitians learn to optimize enteral feeding regimens for their patients who have diabetes. Beyond basic nutritional assessments, dietitians can have a positive impact on patient care by detecting glucose problems, monitoring carefully, educating patients, and choosing appropriate enteral nutrition formulas, feeding routes, and feeding schedules. Specific topics include risks for diabetes, the classic symptoms of diabetes, hyperglycemia associated with other disorders, the importance of good glucose control to prevent complications, medications used for glucose control, goals for nutritional maintenance or repletion, the use of enteral nutrition in obese patients, patient and caregiver education regarding the timing of medications and enteral nutrition regimens, gastroparesis, electrolyte abnormalities, and the different types of enteral formulas currently on the market. The author encourages readers to stay current on the changes in the field of diabetes management. 2 figures. 1 table. |