A critical look at medical nutrition terminology and definitions

Based on the terminology found in literature, the following medical nutrition terminology is proposed: medical nutrition comprises both parenteral (intravenous) as well as enteral nutrition (tube feeding and oral nutrition), which may be given via the oral route or via a tube into the gastrointestinal tract. The features found to be most important in describing medical nutrition are: route of administration; disease; supervision; composition and support/management. These features have been integrated into one operational clinical definition and resulted in the following definition: MEDICAL NUTRITION: specially formulated nutritional composition for the dietary management of patients with diseases, disorders or medical conditions that cause distinct nutritional requirements. It may consist of partial or exclusive feeding by means of oral intake, tube feeding and/or parenteral administration under healthcare professional supervision.