Nutrition provision in paediatric critical care and opportunities for improved delivery via feed modification

Nutrition is an important component of care in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), although practice and provision in Australia and New Zealand is poorly understood. Feed modification is a common nutrition intervention relevant worldwide to improve nutrition provision in critically ill tube fed infants. However, there are no guidelines to inform this practice. This thesis provides an understanding of nutrition practice and provision in ANZ PICUs, and a summary of the current evidence and knowledge gaps related to feed modification in the PICU. A pilot study is proposed to explore expressed breast milk feed modification in the PICU.