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Why is monitoring weight important in patients receiving partial enteral support?
To determine the speed of gastric emptying
To assess tolerance to tube feeding
To enhance patient comfort
To increase financial efficiency
The correct answer is: To assess tolerance to tube feeding
Monitoring weight in patients receiving partial enteral support is crucial for assessing tolerance to tube feeding. This is because weight changes can indicate how well the patient is responding to the nutritional support provided. If a patient is not tolerating the tube feeding well—whether due to gastrointestinal discomfort, malabsorption, or other factors—this could result in a weight loss. Conversely, weight gain may suggest that the patient is effectively utilizing the nutritional support. Understanding weight trends helps healthcare providers make informed adjustments to the feeding regimen, which can involve modifying the composition, rate, or volume of the enteral nutrition. This monitoring is a key component of effective nutritional management, ensuring that patients receive the necessary support while minimizing adverse effects. Other options may be relevant to patient care but do not directly align with the primary goal of weight monitoring in this context. While knowing gastric emptying speed can be important for managing gastrointestinal issues, this does not directly relate to why weight is monitored in patients specifically receiving partial enteral support. Similarly, although patient comfort and financial aspects are important in the overall care model, they do not address the primary clinical indicators that weight monitoring provides in the setting of enteral nutrition.