AUDITING THE EFFECT OF EXPERIENCE AND CHANGE ON HOME PARENTERAL-NUTRITION RELATED COMPLICATIONS

A prospective record of all patients receiving home parenteral nutriti on (HPN) in Tayside since 1980 has been used to audit the effect of ex perience and specific policy changes on HPN related complications. Tot al HPN related complications fell significantly over the years from 1. 59 complications per treatment year during the initial 5 years of HPN experience to the current rate of 0.36 complications per treatment yea r. Specific policy changes, such as modification of the glucose concen tration of feed, could also be shown to produce a significant benefit in the reduction of complications. Increasing experience with HPN resu lts in a fall in complication rates, however, continuous audit of HPN is essential to determine the effect of policy changes on complication rates.