The American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (A.S.P.E.N.) is an interdisciplinary organization whose members are involved in the provision of clinical nutrition therapies including parenteral and enteral nutrition. A.S.P.E.N. was founded in 1976 and now has 5,500 members from around the world including dietitians, nurses, pharmacists, physicians, scientists, students and other health professionals from every facet of nutrition support clinical practice, research education. Nutrition Support Professionals (NSP) are dietitians, pharmacists, nurses, and physicians who are specialists in providing and managing enteral and parenteral nutrition in diverse patient populations, from pediatrics to geriatrics. They may work either independently or as part of a Nutrition Support Team. The NSP can work in a variety of settings, including hospitals, home care agencies, long-term care facilities, research, and academia.

A.S.P.E.N. professional education programs

A.S.P.E.N.'s educational programs and resources are designed to support multi-disciplinary health care professionals seeking to assess, augment, or confirm their knowledge of specialized nutrition support therapy both in clinical practice and research settings. Many of these programs offer continuing education (CE or CME) credit for physicians, dietitians, nurses and pharmacists.

A.S.P.E.N. is accredited as a provider of continuing education credit by the organizations listed below. These accreditations allow A.S.P.E.N. to provide acknowledged quality education in support of our members' credentialing requirements:

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-Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME)

-American Nurses Credentialing Center ’s Commission on Accreditation (ANCC/COA)

-Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE)

-Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR)
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A.S.P.E.N. Foundation

In 1994, the A.S.P.E.N. Rhoads Research Foundation (A.R.R.F.) began providing preliminary funding for promising new research in the fields of nutrition, metabolic support and related areas of clinical nutrition.

A.S.P.E.N. Publications

A.S.P.E.N. publishes several textbooks, guidelines, standards, and two peer-reviewed publications Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (JPEN) and Nutrition in Clinical Practice (NCP)which include original research and critical reviews.

Key Terms

Enteral Nutrition (EN) Nutrition provided through the gastrointestinal tract via a tube, catheter, or stoma that delivers nutrients distal to the oral cavity. <ref>A.S.P.E.N. Board of Directors. Definitions of terms uses in A.S.P.E.N. guidelines and standards. Nutr Clin Pract. 1995;10:1-3.</ref>

Parenteral Nutrition (PN) is one of the ways people receive food when they cannot eat. It is a special liquid food mixture given into the blood with a needle through a vein. The mixture contains all the protein, sugars, fat, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients needed. It was once called "total parenteral nutrition," "TPN," or "hyperalimentation." <ref>Definition of terms, style, and conventions used in A.S.P.E.N. guidelines and standards. Nutr Clin Pract. 2005;20:281-285.</ref>

External links

A.S.P.E.N.