An Integrative Review of Home Enteral Nutrition in the Brazilian Unified Health System.

Abstract

Context: Indication for home enteral nutrition (HEN) has increased throughout the world. In Brazil, the Ministry of Health recommends that municipalities define a protocol for nutritional care to patients on HEN.

Objective: To verify and describe the scientific evidence about HEN in the Unified Health System and discuss its weaknesses and potentialities.

Data sources: MEDLINE, LILACS, and SciELO databases were carried out in January 2024 and included articles published from 2012 to 2022.

Data extraction: A total of 875 publications were identified, and the final sample comprised 16 articles.

Data analysis: The themes of the studies included the socioeconomic and demographic profiles of patients on HEN and their caregivers, public policies and programs aimed at special feeding needs, the nutritional and clinical status of patients on HEN, incidents related to the use of feeding tubes, the caregiver's role, the health workers' apprehensions, and guidelines for the use of HEN.

Conclusions: The scientific evidence on HEN in Unified Health System is diverse and reflects sparse realities in Brazil, which is one of the weaknesses observed. The evidence demonstrates the importance of improving the registration system to consolidate public policies and programs related to the area-presented as a potential for systematizing the health care of patients on HEN.