Nutrition in critically ill adults: key processes and outcomes.

Malnutrition is a common problem that can have serious consequences for the already compromised critically ill adult. Nurses are often challenged to quantify the risk or degree of malnutrition, identify the amount or type of support needed, or measure the effectiveness of nutritional intervention. This article focuses on key processes used to provide nutrition therapy to critically ill adults. These processes and how nurses employ them have the greatest potential impact on outcomes related to nutrition in critically ill adults.