BAPEN Principles of Good Nutritional Practice
As part of our on-going commitment to improve levels of care for those at risk of malnutrition in the UK we provide a Decision Tree resource. The Decision Trees have been produced by members of the BAPEN Education and Training Committee and the Core Groups: BAPEN Medical, BPNG, BSPGHAN, NNNG, PENG, and PINNT and offer a pragmatic and effective tool to assist in the care of those at risk of malnutrition and its consequences.
Malnutrition remains all too common in a wide range of care settings including hospitals and the community, and as such has become the responsibility of a wide range of health care professionals in primary and secondary care. While many guidelines exist, the sources are varied, and often too thorough and in-depth for immediate easy use in the care setting. The BAPEN Principles of Good Nutritional Practice has been devised to draw together existing guidelines and evidence base, together with best practice where no research is possible, to produce Decision Trees to help guide all levels of health care professionals through the pathway of care of those with malnutrition.
The Foreword and first six Decision Trees launched are available to download below:
- Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy: Diagnosis of Buried Bumper Syndrome
- Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy: Management of Buried Bumper Syndrome
- Ethics and clinically assisted nutrition or hydration approaching the end of life
- Naso Gastric (NG) Tube Insertion
- Perioperative Nutrition
- Refeeding Syndrome: Identification of those at risk
Subsequent Decision Trees launched are freely available to BAPEN members when logged in. They include four additional Decision Trees entitled:
- Managing abnormal liver function tests among those receiving Home Parenteral Nutrition
- Management of enteral feeding related diarrhoea
- Dietary management of hyperkalaemia in haemodialysis patients
- Management of malnutrition in patients receiving haemodialysis

Foreword by Dr Sheldon Cooper MSc MRCP RNutr, Chair of BAPEN Education and Training Committee

Naso Gastric (NG) Tube Insertion – Decision Tree
Content is under revision

Ethics and clinically assisted nutrition or hydration approaching the end of life – Decision Tree
Content is under revision

Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy Diagnosis of Buried Bumper Syndrome – Decision Tree

Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy Management of Buried Bumper Syndrome – Decision Tree

Managing abnormal liver function tests among those receiving Home Parenteral Nutrition exclusion of non-nutritional causes – Decision Tree
Please login to download.
Not a member? Join BAPEN

Management of enteral feeding related diarrhoea – Decision Tree
Please login to download.
Not a member? Join BAPEN

Dietary management of hyperkalaemia in haemodialysis patients – Decision Tree
Please login to download.
Not a member? Join BAPEN

Management of malnutrition in patients receiving haemodialysis – Decision Tree
Please login to download.
Not a member? Join BAPEN