Reducing Diarrhea in Critically Ill Patients Receiving Enteral Nutrition Support

Background: Diarrhea during enteral nutrition may induce various complications and increase the nursing workload. Local Problem: The diarrhea rate in our intensive care units (ICUs) was 37.14% from May to July 2021. Nurses reported a moderate to heavy burden regarding care for those with diarrhea. Methods: A pre-post implementation design was used to evaluate the impact of evidence-based interventions for diarrhea screening and prevention. Interventions: A diarrhea risk screening tool and countermeasures were developed through an extensive literature review. Tools were integrated into the electronic health record system. Results: The rate of diarrhea decreased from 37.14% to 17.33% ( P = .000). Nurse’s compliance with practice standards increased for diarrhea assessment, risk factor screening, agent choice, and countermeasures provision ( P < .05). Conclusions: The evidence-based tools developed for this project helped decrease the diarrhea rate in our ICUs.