Perioperative nutritional practices and pediatric nutrition support team implementation in Korea: a cross-sectional study

Purpose: Pediatric surgical patients are vulnerable to perioperative malnutrition, yet standardized nutritional care and structured nutrition support team (NST) involvement remain inconsistent across institutions. Although multidisciplinary nutritional support has gained increasing attention, data on pediatric NST practices within surgical settings in Korea are limited. This study examined the availability and composition of pediatric NSTs, perioperative nutritional practices, and barriers in hospitals performing pediatric surgery.Methods: A nationwide cross-sectional survey was conducted among tertiary and secondary hospitals that perform pediatric surgery in Korea. The questionnaire assessed hospital characteristics, the presence and composition of pediatric NSTs, perioperative nutritional screening and support practices, monitoring protocols.Results: A total of 12 hospitals participated. Although all were high-capacity institutions, only half reported having a pediatric NST. Routine preoperative nutritional screening was performed in 50% of hospitals, and validated tools such as Screening Tool for the Assessment of Malnutrition in Pediatrics (STAMP) and Pediatric Yorkhill Malnutrition Score (PYMS) were used in 41.7%. Hospitals with a pediatric NST more frequently had institutional protocols for nutritional evaluation (66.7% vs. 16.7%) and were more likely to administer central venous parenteral nutrition postoperatively (83.3% vs. 0%, P=0.015). Enhanced Recovery After Surgery protocols were implemented in only two hospitals (16.7%). Major barriers to pediatric NST operation included insufficient staffing and time constraints.Conclusion: Pediatric NSTs and standardized perioperative nutrition protocols remain underutilized in Korean surgical centers. Institutions with a pediatric NST demonstrated more structured nutritional practices. Expanding NST infrastructure and establishing standardized perioperative protocols for pediatric surgical patients may enhance the quality and consistency of nutritional care.