Background Patients receiving enteral nutrition (EN) suffer several kinds of complications such as gastrointestinal disorders, lung aspiration, tube dislodgement, tube clogging, hyperglycaemia and electrolytic alterations. The pharmacist’s key role is to ensure the best nutrition and to solve and prevent problems related to drug administration by this route.

Purpose To analyse hospital pharmacist interventions (HPIs) in patients fed with EN through feeding tubes.

Materials and Methods Prospective study from 1 July 2011 to 30 June 2012 in a 350-bed hospital. Twice a week a hospital pharmacist monitored patients fed through feeding tubes. HPIs were classified in four types: Type 1: EN formula recommendation (to increase nutritional support, to recommend another kind of formula, to modify the regimen); Type 2: to recommend flushing feeding tubes with water; Type 3: to suggest replacing PVC nasogastric tubes (NTs) with silicone NTs; Type 4: to adjust pharmacotherapy (EN-drug interactions and drug incompatibilities). The pharmacist reported all HPIs to physicians.

Results A total of 132 patients were monitored, with 94 HPIs: Type 1: 45 (47.9%) (37 (82.3%) to increase nutritional input, 2 (4.4%) regimen modification and 6 (13.3%) new formula recommendations), Type 2: 11 (11.7%); Type 3: 3 (3.2%); Type 4: 35 (37.2%) (12 (34.3%) substitutions of omeprazole capsules for omeprazole oral solution, 10 (28.6%) lactulose for lactitol, 9 (25.7%) delayed-release tablets for immediate-release tablets, 4 (11.4%) others).

Conclusions HPIs contributed to improved pharmacotherapy and suitability of the EN formula in most of the patients with feeding tubes. Designing an EN multidisciplinary care plan improves patients’ treatment and health outcomes.

No conflict of interest.