Terms, concepts and definitions in clinical artificial nutrition. The ConT-SEEN Project

Abstract

Background: Imprecision in terms used in the field of clinical nutrition may lead to misinterpretations among professionals.

Objective: For this reason, the Spanish Society of Endocrinology and Nutrition (SEEN) promoted this document on the terms and definitions used in clinical artificial nutrition (enteral and parenteral), establishing an agreement between Spanish experts of this specialty.

Methods: Forty-seven specialists in endocrinology and nutrition, members of the Nutrition Area of the SEEN, participated between April and September 2016. After a systematic literature review, 52 concepts were proposed. The coordinators included two additional concepts, and 57were finally selected by the working group: 13 of a general nature, 30 referring to enteral nutrition and 14 to parenteral nutrition. The degree of agreement was subsequently determined using a two-round Delphi process. It was finally ratified by consistency and concordance analysis.

Results: Fifty-four of the 57 terms had a very consistent agreement and were concordant. Only three showed no concordance, of whom two were very consistent and one inconsistent. In conclusion, there was consensus in the definition of 54 basic terms in the practice of clinical nutrition.

Keywords: Acuerdo; Agreement; Concept; Concepto; Consenso; Consensus; Definición; Definition; Delphi; Enteral nutrition; Nutrición; Nutrición enteral; Nutrición parenteral; Nutrition; Parenteral nutrition; Terminology; Terminología.