ASPEN international survey on ethical competencies dealing with decision-making in the use of artificially administered nutrition and hydration and competency application in clinical practice.

Background: Ethical competencies dealing with decision-making for clinicians involved in artificially administered nutrition and hydration (AANH) have not been defined in the literature. Although clinical assessments identify nutrition needs and appropriate routes of nutrition administration, an assessment of the ethical, cultural, and spiritual implications of the medical nutrition therapy may be overlooked.

Methods: Eleven competency statements were developed by members of two international sections of the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition.

[Cartagena Declaration. The International Declaration on the Right to Nutritional Care and the Fight against Malnutrition].

The need to promote the right to nutritional care, to fight against malnutrition and to advance in education and research in clinical nutrition has led all the FELANPE's societies to sign on May 3rd, during the 33rd Congress of the Colombian Clinical Nutrition Association (ACNC) in the city of Cartagena, the International Declaration on the Right to Nutritional Care and the Fight against Malnutrition, "Declaration of Cartagena". The Declaration provides a coherent framework of 13 principles which can serve as a guide for societies, schools and associations affiliated to FELANPE in the development of action plans. In addition, it will serve as an instrument to promote, through governments, the formulation of policies and legislation in the field of clinical nutrition.

Theory of Inpatient Circadian Care (TICC): A Proposal for a Middle-Range Theory.

The circadian system controls the daily rhythms of a variety of physiological processes. Most organisms show physiological, metabolic and behavioral rhythms that are coupled to environmental signals. In humans, the main synchronizer is the light/dark cycle, although non-photic cues such as food availability, noise, and work schedules are also involved.