Nutrition support teams: an evidence-based practice.

With the development of specialized nutrition support, an interdisciplinary approach was essential to translating this medical breakthrough from the laboratory to the bedside. As this new innovation was adopted, interdisciplinary nutrition support teams were created to optimize the effectiveness and safety of this therapy. The impact of standardization and the use of an interdisciplinary team to provide specialized nutrition support have been shown to improve outcomes and safety and to have a positive financial impact on healthcare institutions. Yet many hospitals do not have nutrition support teams, and the numbers that do may have decreased. To be effective, nutrition support teams need to practice at an evidence-based level and measure their performance. Nutrition support teams include many of the components of the healthcare delivery system that are advocated for the future, and nutrition support teams should be encouraged as the preferred system of providing specialized nutrition support.