Introduction The aim of the study is to assess nurses' adherence to enteral nutrition evidence-based guidelines in intensive care.

Methods Mixed-methods design was employed. This abstract will show the results of the survey which was concerned with the practical issues, the nursing process, and enteral nutrition complications. A cluster sample recruited intensive care nurses (n=253) from different health care sectors in Jordan.

Results Clinical nutrition is perceived by 79.7% of nurses as a secondary role. Nurses showed greater levels of knowledge and responsibility for “preventing complications” and “evaluation” than “assessment” and “identifying goals”. Tube position is still confirmed via unreliable measures such as air bubbling technique (mean 4.00, SD 1.14). The mean for measuring Gastric Residual Volume was above the mid-point (3.70, SD 1.33). However, there was inconsistency in recognising the limit, threshold and frequency of measuring this volume. Diarrhoea is the most frequent complication of enteral nutrition (mean 3.36, SD 1.34) followed by abdominal pain, tube dislodgment, weight loss and uncontrolled blood sugar. Nurses perceived that the incidences of complications are less likely to occur in the presence of evidence-based guidelines than absence (rho=0.73, df=251, p<0.001).

Conclusion Nurses show more concerns about the outcomes of enteral feeding instead of the preliminary assessment. Measuring gastric residual volume and confirming tube placement are still deficient and require further attention. Evidence-based practice is acknowledged by nurses where undertaking such protocols is emphasised.

Competing interests None declared.

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