Contribution to the Validation of the Portuguese Version of the "barriers to Enterally Feeding Critically Ill Patients" Questionnaire and Its Application in a Hospital Context

In Portugal, there is no validated questionnaire to assess barriers to enteral nutrition administration in critically ill patients. The aim of this study was to validate the "Barriers to Enterally Feeding Critically Ill Patients" questionnaire in a Portuguese context (BEFIP-PT). The BEFIP-PT, which assesses 16 potential barriers divided into 4 domains, was applied to a sample (n = 165) of physicians, nurses, and nutritionists working in the Portuguese intensive care units. The most detrimental barriers perceived by health care professionals were delayed motility agents, delayed small bowel access, and inadequate time dedicated to enteral nutrition education.