[Assessment using NutriQoL® of quality-of-life changes during the first six months of home enteral nutrition delivered orally].

Introduction: home enteral nutrition (HEN), through oral supplements or nasogastric tube (NGT), gastrostomy (GTP) or jejunostomy, aims to avoid prolonged hospitalization and prevent or correct malnutrition. Objectives: to assess changes in quality of life (QoL) in HEN patients using the NutriQoL® tool and the EuroQol-5D questionnaire. To identify the potential association between QoL levels measured by NutriQoL® and patient-reported symptoms, clinical status changes, and treatment adherence. Methods: prospective, descriptive, real-world observational study in adult patients who were malnourished or at risk of malnutrition and received home enteral nutrition exclusively as oral supplementation for 6 months. HRQoL was assessed using NutriQoL® (months 1, 3, and 6) and EQ-5D (baseline and months 1, 3, and 6). Intestinal tolerance symptoms and adherence were recorded. Results: a total of 590 patients were included, with a mean age of 73.1 years (SD 13.54). The most common conditions were cancer (39.8 %) and neurodegenerative diseases (31.4 %). According to the MUST scale, 56.4 % were at high risk of malnutrition. NutriQoL® revealed a gradual and significant improvement in QoL from month 1 (65.13, SD 14.3) to month 6 (68.67, SD 14.3; p ≤ 0.001). The EuroQol-5D self-assessment questionnaire also showed QoL improvements at months 1, 3, and 6 compared to baseline data (p < 0.001). Adherence levels exceeded 88 % throughout the study. Conclusions: HEN improves QoL and the clinical outcome of patients at risk of malnutrition, including those with diverse pathologies. The NutriQoL® questionnaire is an accurate and reliable tool to assess these benefits in a real clinical context.