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Home parenteral nutrition (HPN) is a technologically complex, life-sustaining therapy for individuals who have intestinal failure. Accepting an invasive lifelong therapy like HPN is challenging for patients and their family caregivers. There is a desire to maintain a sense of normalcy in life and to carry on as usual. Using qualitative methodology, the authors explored and described the lived experience of HPN-dependent adults and identified normalization as a repeating and strong theme. Understanding how individuals adapt, cope, or experience this complex therapy provides insight into how they manage their lives in as normal a way as possible. By understanding the perspective of normalization, home infusion nurses and nutrition support clinicians can embrace caregiving strategies and tools consistent with the changing social environment in which the HPN experience is lived.

Home parenteral nutrition (HPN) is indicated for adults and children who cannot digest and absorb food and who are able to receive therapy safely outside of a hospital. How successful this therapy is depends on the patient's support system and ability to learn and independently administer medically complex procedures. Transition to home is facilitated by identifying all necessary therapies, obtaining information to demonstrate medical necessity, establishing central venous access, reaching goal infusion rate, identifying who will write HPN orders, and coordinating care among all home care providers. An interdisciplinary team provides the most successful process to ensure safe HPN.