Enteral nutrition: beliefs and practices of physicians and dietitians in one hospital.

Establishing an enteral nutrition formulary for a hospital requires critical evaluation of all nutrition products and examination of the population to be served. A careful determination of the needs of each patient should precede selection and administration of any product. Monitoring nutrition therapy should be a combined effort of physicians and dietitians, emphasizing both nutrition and metabolic indexes. Finally, education must be provided to physicians and other health care professionals so that the skills and clinical expertise of the registered dietitian in nutrition and enteral nutrition support are recognized and utilized.