Clinical guidelines from the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition: best practice recommendations for patient care.

The American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (A.S.P.E.N.) is an interdisciplinary society whose vision is to ensure that every patient receives safe, efficacious, and high-quality nutrition care. The society has produced clinical guidelines to assist practitioners in enteral and parenteral nutrition decision making. A.S.P.E.N. clinical guideline development has evolved through the years, and recently has incorporated a rigorous and transparent development process using the Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) process. This article will examine A.S.P.E.N.'s guideline development process, discuss current population- and disease-specific practice guidelines, and highlight recommendations useful for the clinician involved in nutrition therapy decision making.