Nutrition Support and Ethics Resources

The ASPEN Nutrition Support and Ethics Resource page allows healthcare professionals to access publications, tools, educational offerings, and resources on nutrition support and ethical decisions for patients. ASPEN has recognized that ethics in nutrition support is an important concept in clinical practice and education for nutrition support practitioners. The organization has an International Clinical Ethics section to address these issues.

NEW! Ethical Aspects of Artificially Administered Nutrition and Hydration: An ASPEN Position Paper. Schwartz DB, Barrocas A, Annetta MG, Stratton K, McGinnis C, Hardy G, Wong T, Arenas D, Turon-Findley MP, Kliger RG, Corkins KG, Mirtallo J, Amagai T, Guenter P; ASPEN International Clinical Ethics Position Paper Update Workgroup. (NCP 2021)

Specific Quality of Life Assessment by the NutriQoL® Questionnaire Among Patients Receiving Home Enteral Nutrition (JPEN 2020)  

Themes of Stressors, Emotional Fatigue, and Communication Challenges Found in Mobile Care Discussion Sessions With Patients Requiring Lifelong Home Parenteral Nutrition Infusions (JPEN 2020)

Other Papers with Nutrition and Ethics Content

• The History of Human Subjects Research and Rationale for Institutional Review Board Oversight 2021
  
• Cross-Sectional Nutrition Profile of Palliative Home Care Clients in Ontario and Performance of the interRAI Palliative Care Nutrition Clinical Assessment Protocol 2020
  
• Determinants of quality of life in patients with intestinal failure receiving long-term parenteral nutrition using the SF-36 questionnaire: A German single-center prospective observational study 2020
• Ethical framework for nutrition support resource allocation during shortages: lessons from COVID-19 2020
• Nutrition status and health-related quality of life among outpatients with advanced head and neck cancer 2020
• Dysphagia: interprofessional management, impact, and patient-centered care 2019
• "I wouldn’t ever want it”: A qualitative evaluation of patient and caregiver perceptions toward enteral tube feeding in hip fracture inpatients 2019
• Poor social support and unemployment are associated with negative affect in home parenteral nutrition–dependent patients with chronic intestinal failure 2019
• Role of a nutrition support clinician on a hospital bioethics committee 2019
• Self‐evaluation of quality of life among patients receiving home parenteral nutrition: A validation study 2018
• Enteral nutrition and dementia integrating ethics 2018
• Standards for nutrition support: adult hospitalized patients 2018
• When is parenteral nutrition appropriate? 2017
• Novel, family-centered intervention to improve nutrition in patients recovering from critical illness: a feasibility study 2017
• Artificial hydration at the end of life 2017
• Decision aid for nutrition support in pediatric oncology: A pilot study 2017
• Home enteral nutrition: updates, trends, and challenges 2017
  
• ASPEN 2010 Ethics Position Paper 2010
• Ethical Issues in Artificial Nutrition and Hydration: A Review 2009
• ASPEN 2008 Statement on Ethics of Withholding and/or Withdrawing Nutrition Support Therapy 2008 (members only)

Article Collection Curated: January, 2021

Books

• The ASPEN Pediatric Nutrition Support Core Curriculum (2nd Ed). 2015. Editor-in-Chief: Mark R. Corkins, MD, CNSP, SPR, FAAP. Ch. 37. Ethical Issues in Providing Nutrition. Kelly Cronin Komatz, MD, MPH, FAAP, FAAHPM p. 641-646.
• The ASPEN Adult Nutrition Support Core Curriculum, Third Edition. 2017. Charles M. Mueller, PhD, RDN, CDN, CNSC Editor-in-chief. Ch. 39. Ethics and Law. Denise Baird Schwartz, MS, RD, FADA, FAND, FASPEN Albert Barrocas, MD, FACS, FASPEN P. 785-804.

Videos

• Ethical Dilemmas in Communications Across the Age Spectrum: A Theatrical Presentation. Designed to educate, engage and empower healthcare clinicians in skills to communicate with patients and family members. Recorded February 15, 2015 at Clinical Nutrition Week (Long Beach Convention Center, CA).

Other Resources

• Glossary : Common words and phrases used in nutrition support and ethics
• Statement on Baby Doe Case : Information on the Baby Doe Amendments to the Child Neglect and Abuse Act
• Bioethical Principles : Definitions and applications to nutrition support
• Legal Caselist : Key legal decisions of various cases
• National Healthcare Decisions Day: Focused on the importance of advance care planning
• International Clinical Ethics Section Forum: Review of the Updated ASPEN Ethics Position Statement. ASPEN 2021 Nutrition Science & Practice Conference

• Gastrointestinal Disorders and Ethics. 2020 Nutrition Support Fundamentals Course