A Pocket Guide To Clinical Nutrition
Updated 6th Edition
The updated 6th Edition of the Pocket Guide to Clinical Nutrition is under review and will contain an update on estimating energy requirements, a comprehensive systematic review of estimating protein requirements and a new section on high output stoma.
It is anticipated that this will be available towards the end of 2026.
5th Edition
Hard copies of the 5th Edition of the PENG Pocket Guide to Clinical Nutrition are no longer available and any outstanding requests are being managed by the BDA. You can access the 5th Edition as an electronic version and App within the Google Play and Apple Store (FREE for PENG members, available through the BDA shop). Please visit here
Hear Dr Elizabeth Weekes talking ‘nutritional requirements’ which compliments the new chapter of the PENG Pocket Guide to Clinical Nutrition
Online Resources – Adult Nutritional Requirements Guidelines
Aim
To provide additional material to aid the estimation of energy requirements in clinical practice, for patients requiring nutritional support.
Introduction
The papers cited in the online resources were identified during the searches conducted by the PENG Requirements Guideline Development Group (GDG) in preparation for Section 3 of the Pocket Guide to Clinical Nutrition (2018). Data from these studies could not be included in Tables 3.1 or 3.2 because resting energy expenditure (REE) was not reported in kcal/kg body weight (BW) or kcal/kg fat free mass (FFM).
Online resource 1 – Disease-specific regression equations
Download the PDF files below
The underlying principle of disease-specific regression equations is to use a combination of static measures and physiological parameters to estimate requirements in specific populations. The equations presented in this resource were derived for specific clinical populations (e.g. patients with burn injury or chronic heart failure), and should only be used in similar populations. Clinicians are advised to read the full paper(s) before deciding whether or not the population in the study is sufficiently similar to their own patient population.
Note that a proportion of the regression equations were not validity-tested in a similar population and so they should be used with caution
Online resources 2 – Resting energy expenditure (REE), total energy expenditure (TEE) or physical activity
Download the PDF files below
This resource provides data on REE in kcal/day for clinical conditions where there were no data on REE kcal/kg BW or kcal/kg FFM. It also summarises data from studies where TEE was measured in clinical populations and data from studies where the energy expended in physical activity was either measured or estimated from measures of REE and TEE.
The data summarised in this resource are intended to provide guidance in the estimation of TEE and physical activity level only for those clinical populations where data have been presented. All data are mean (standard deviation) unless otherwise stated.
Clinicians are advised not to use these data to make assumptions about TEE and physical activity in other clinical conditions.
PDF Downloads
Online resource 1 – Disease-specific regression equations
Download the PDF file via the link above
Online resources 2 – Resting energy expenditure (REE), total energy expenditure (TEE) or physical activity
Download a zip file with 27 PDFs via the link above
Basal metabolic rate (BMR) prediction equations
More than twenty BMR prediction equations derived in, and for, healthy populations exist in the literature. While the Henry (2005) BMR prediction equation was recommended for use in clinical practice in the previous version of the Pocket Guide to Clinical Nutrition, its use is no longer recommended by the PENG GDG for patients requiring nutritional support.Clinicians are reminded that the estimations derived using the new method presented in Section 3 of the Pocket Guide to Clinical Nutrition (2018) will not be directly comparable to estimations derived using the factorial method recommended in the previous edition of the Pocket to Clinic al Nutrition.
(Data for the online resources were compiled and tabulated by Elizabeth Weekes and Danielle Judges on behalf of the PENG GDG).
Summarised below are the core chapters of the PENG Pocket Guide to Clinical Nutrition:
- Introduction
- Identifying
- Assessment
- Adult Requirements
- Paediatric Requirements
- Access Routes
- Monitoring and Reference Values
- Nutritional Values
- Parenteral Nutrition
- Acid-Base Balance
- Diabetes
- Microbial Control
- Refeeding
- Drugs and Enteral
- Renal
- Liver
- Critical Care
- COPD
- Bariatric
- Pancreatic
For queries relating to publications and the PENG Pocket Guide to Clinical Nutrition email: peng@bda.uk.com
Pocket Guide to Clinical Nutrition Q&A related to previous edition
What dietitians have said about the previous version of the PENG Pocket Guide to Clinical Nutrition:
“It contains all the information we require in order to assess patients on the wards. It is 'the bible' and I would really struggle to do my job effectively without.”
“Because it helps inform and allow us to make complete and accurate nutritional assessments and aids professional judgement in decision making.”
“I use it daily in assessments of patients but as a quick reference guide it is invaluable when faced with consultants/MDT to prove dietetic value.”
“Guides you to calculate estimated requirements for all patient groups, it is the Dietitian's bible.”
“This is essential in our clinical practice (dietetics).”
“Practical evidence nutrition - a perfect guide.”
“Essential evidence base.”
“All the information I need for nutrition assessments is ready to pick up and go and be with me wherever I need it!”
“I could not do my job without it!”
“It gives up to date evidence based information to carry around. A nutrition 'gospel'.”