Newsletter

[ Vol. 1 No. 1 ] (January - April 2000 )
Nutritional Support Services in Taiwan

Tsann-Long Hwang

Department of Surgery,  Chang Gung Memorial Hospital,
Chang Gung University, Taipet, Taiwan.

The Nutritional Support Services in Taiwan have been well organized in most hospitals for more than fifteen years and under regular evaluation by Taiwan Society of Parenteral and Enteral  Nutrition (TSPEN) for 6 years. Fifty three qualified NSS have been approved by TSPEN. The composition of NSS in each hospital should include one physician, one dietician, one pharmacist and one nurse pre one thousand beds. They should have complete documents, regular consultation system and meeting, and at least one publication per year. The major work of NSS are patients nutritional assessments, enteral and parenteral nutritional support care, nutritional education for the outpatients and inpatients. The formula of TPN, PPN or enteral feeding diets in each NSS are quite similar Standard TPN with 30% of energy using fat emulsion is more common.  Hepatic failure formula (BCAA enriched TPN), Renal failure formula (Essential amino acid TPN) or high nitrogen TPN are the other choice. The enteral formula diets include commercial formula diet, elemental diet, immunomodulational diets. On the other hand, there are many education activities held by the hospital or TSPEN each year and the members of TSPEN should meet the  minimal educational scores each year. The governmental health insurance only pays the reasonable costs to the hospital which NSS is approved by TSPEN. The missions of TSPEN  include to assure proper nutritional care by assisting, monitoring and evaluating the running of patientcentered nutrition support of hospital, to promote better communication among professional disciplines through publications, meeting, lectures, annual conferences and clinical practice raming course, to encourage professional researches in the field of parenteral and enteral nutritional,  and to encourage presentation of their research finding or practice experience, and to stand for the needs of professionals and patients they care before other medical professional groups, regulatory agencies and government.

From
"The 5th Congress of the PENSA", October 28-30 1999, Kuala Lumpur.
Page: 59