NUTRIENT

A national platform for improving quality of nutrition care for adults and children with critical illness.

The NUTRIENT 2 program consists of three interconnected streams:

  • Stream 1: The consumer experience of nutrition
  • Stream 2: Clinical data collection of nutrition practices
  • Stream 3: New models of co-designed nutrition care

Stream 1 includes a multi-site three-stage experience-based co-design (EBCD) study, practice observation study and a scoping review of consumer involvement in critical care nutrition. Stream 2 is an observational study involving a practice audit of nutrition care of critically ill adults during the ICU and post-ICU period. Stream 3 will use a design thinking process to implement new models of nutrition care.

The NUTRIENT 2 program consists of three interconnected streams

This program of work will build on the NUTRIENT study to provide a benchmarking process for nutrition care in critical illness across the whole hospital period in Australia and New Zealand, and inform new models of nutrition care for critically ill patients.

This project is funded by a 2022 MRFF (Medical Research Future Fund) Clinician Researchers – Nurses, Midwives and Allied Health grant over a 4-year period (2023-2027).

Primary Aim:
  1. To inform and re-design new models of nutrition care to ensure efficient and effective application of resources in the way consumers need.
Secondary Aims:
  1. To co-develop a research agenda for the future.
  2. To establish a network of the highest calibre early to senior career clinical research in critical care nutrition with rapid translation to policy and practice.
Rationale:

Nutrition has the potential to influence important patient centred outcomes like quality of life for adults and provides vital nutrition for optimal growth, development and improved long-term outcomes for children. However, no defined models of care clearly link to important patient centred outcomes, no national process tracks nutrition care, and consumers have been poorly engaged to date.

Collaboration:

The project is a partnership with consumers, multidisciplinary critical care clinicians, 54 health services and 4 industry partners.

Study Progress:

Stream 1 is currently underway with the EBCD recruiting at two sites. The paediatric and adult scoping reviews are progressing. Stream 2 commenced recruitment in August 2024 with a second data collection period planned for 2026.

Registration:

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06576895

Consumer Committee:

The first adult Consumer and Community Advisory Committee (CCAC) for critical care nutrition in Australia has been established as part of the NUTRIENT program. This committee has oversight of all project activities, bringing the consumer perspective to all aspects of the NUTRIENT project.

Study Contacts:

You can also email the shared inbox at nutrient@monash.edu, or call (03) 9903 0217.