Key Concepts
Overview
When patients cannot meet nutritional needs through oral intake, enteral (via GI tract) or parenteral (IV) nutrition is required. The PN monitors these therapies, assesses for complications, and educates patients/families. Tube feeding and TPN are high-acuity nursing responsibilities with significant complication risk. Nutrition support hierarchy: 1. Oral diet (preferred โ maintains gut function) 2. Enteral nutrition (tube feeding) โ "if the gut works, use it" 3. Parenteral nutrition (IV) โ only when GI tract non-functional Enteral nutrition advantages over parenteral: - Maintains gut mucosal integrity (prevents bacterial translocation) - Less infection risk than central venous access - Less expensive - More physiological metabolism of nutrients On the exam, writers often pair stable-sounding options with unstable dataโnotice the mismatch before you commit. If the stem names a license or role, reread that line; scope errors are classic trap answers even when the clinical topic is familiar. Run a 60-second scan: breathing work and oxygenation, perfusion and end organs, neuro baseline, likely infection sources, and devices that can fail quietly. When two answers feel partly right, pick the one that **reduces imminent...