Special diets for neutropenic patients: Do they make a difference?

The Effect of the Neutropenic Diet in the Outpatient Setting: A Pilot Study

“…No study has compared the effectiveness of sterile and low microbial diets in preventing infection through the mouth, oropharynx, or esophagus (Aker & Cheney, 1983). The use of the neutropenic diet in a total protective environment has been translated to all settings based on logic, prudent practice, and reasonable theoretical rationale (Fenelon, 1995;Remington & Schimpff, 1981;Somerville, 1986). Moody, Charlson, and Finlay (2002) pointed out that various components of a total protective environment have been abandoned in medical practice because they are labor intensive and expensive and may raise quality-of-life issues for patients.…”

Updated Oncology Nursing Society Putting Evidence Into Practice Resources

“…Although dietary restrictions for neutropenic patients with cancer have been common practice for more than three decades, a surprising paucity of research links pathogens from fresh fruits and vegetables with infection in neutropenic patients. Almost all institutions recommend dietary restrictions for neutropenic patients with cancer and the most common recommendation is to avoid unwashed fruits and vegetables (Larson & Nirenberg, 2004;Moody, Charlson, & Finlay, 2002;Smith & Besser, 2000;Somerville, 1986;Wilson, 2002). Most studies evaluating the effect of a neutropenic diet on the risk of infection are confounded by insufficient sample size and institutional manipulations such as protected environments and variation in dietary restrictions.…”

Evidence-Based Nursing Practice to Prevent Infection in Hospitalized Neutropenic Patients With Cancer

“…Smith and Besser 2000conducted a survey of current practices in 156 institutions and found that the majority placed neutropenic patients on dietary restrictions. Somerville (1986) discussed the issue of special diets for neutropenic patients, but the review is outdated and did not present any original data. Moody, Charlson, and Finlay (2002) published a comprehensive review of evidence from clinical trials regarding the effectiveness of such diets and concluded that the majority of these studies were confounded by other concurrent manipulations (e.g., a total protected environment).…”