Objective: A multidisciplinary nutrition support team (NST) aims to improve a patient’s nutritional status. Nutritional support should be initiated promptly in patients who need it. Parenteral nutrition (PN) solutions have a risk of being unstable until 24 hours after preparation. The aim of this study was to determine the time span of the PN process, which starts from a consultation with an NST until the end of the administration of the solution, to demonstrate the appropriateness of the practice.

Methods: In this study, the timing of each process including NST consultation, evaluation of the patient by NST, delivery of the order label to the pharmacy, compounding process, delivery of the bags to the services/units, storage in the services/units, and duration of administration were prospectively followed and recorded by three pharmacists in a university hospital for two weeks in January 2017.

Results: A total of 12 patients’ PN processes were followed and the duration of each stage was recorded by pharmacists. The mean duration of compounding PN±standard deviation (SD) was 5.18±0.87 minutes. The average (±SD) volume of PN was 1557±205.2 mL. The mean (±SD) duration of administration was recorded as 24 hours and 14 minutes±37.5 minutes. The mean (±SD) volume of residual PN solution was 106.9±30.3 mL and 41.6% of the waste was discarded as household waste rather than medical waste. The mean (±SD) room temperature during the administration of PN was 25.01±1.6°C.

Conclusion: With regard to stability problems of PN solutions, awareness among healthcare professionals should be raised in order to reduce the waiting period till administration. Minimizing waste-cost and the residual volume of PN is important to maintain the patients’ nutritional requirements.

Keywords: Compounding, nutritional support team, parenteral nutrition