Our Work
IHNAPA is committed to improving the lives of people receiving Home Artificial Nutrition, including HPN, TPN and enteral nutrition, and the families and carers who support them. Our work focuses on patient advocacy, national consultation, education, pathway development, evidence gathering and collaboration with clinicians, academics and healthcare stakeholders. Our aim is to support the development of nationally consistent, person-centred systems that enable patients to live safely and as independently as possible at home. The projects below form part of IHNAPA's 2026–2030 development programme.
2026 - 2030 Plan
Intestinal Failure & Home Nutrition
2026 - 2030
Project VIDA
About VIDA
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What VIDA Stands For:
VIDA = Vital Intestinal Data for Advocacy.
VIDA is a proposal to work with the HSE, clinicians and patients towards a national register of people receiving TPN or HPN, or living with intestinal failure (IF). Any register would be developed only with appropriate HSE clinical, data-protection and governance approval. -
Why It Matters:
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There is no national framework for HPN/TPN patients in Ireland.
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Lack of consistent data → leads to service gaps, delayed care, and missed policy priorities.
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VIDA would help fill this gap by mapping patient needs, informing national strategy, and supporting better outcomes.
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Core Objectives
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Work towards a national register for intestinal failure, TPN and HPN patients.
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Provide anonymised insights for the HSE, clinicians, and researchers.
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Identify service gaps, waiting times, and cross-hospital variation.
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Support policy development aligned with Sláintecare and ESPEN guidelines.
Key Features
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Nationwide Coverage → mapping need across every HSE Health Region and acute hospital.
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Secure, GDPR-Compliant Platform → safeguarding patient privacy.
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Clinical Partnership → developed with consultants, dietitians, PHNs and research teams.
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Evidence for Advocacy → using data to influence national health policy.
Project NOVA
Nutrition Outcomes, Value & Advocacy
Focus: A Proposed National Home Nutrition App & Data Platform
“Connecting Patients, Clinicians & Carers Through a National Home Nutrition App”
A patient-support and digital-care concept under development, with any future clinical functionality, interoperability or information exchange subject to appropriate HSE clinical, technical, regulatory and data-governance approval.
About NOVA
NOVA = Nutrition Outcomes, Value & Advocacy.
It is proposed as an integrated national app for patients receiving TPN or HPN, or living with intestinal failure (IF).
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Vision:
To connect patients, hospitals, and policy-makers through a single digital ecosystem, supporting better decisions and better lives.
Core Objectives
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Develop a proposed nationally connected app for patients, carers, and clinicians.
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Enable remote monitoring of key outcomes (line infections, admissions, weight trends, quality of life).
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Provide patients with personal dashboards and education resources.
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Give the HSE, policymakers, and researchers aggregated insights to improve services.
Key Features
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Patient Portal → Manage line care, medications, and PN prescriptions.
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Carer Support Hub → Easy access to resources, forums, and peer networks.
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Secure Information Sharing → Designed to connect with hospital teams, subject to HSE approval.
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Research-Ready Data → Supports clinical trials, policy planning, and academic collaboration.
Why NOVA Matters
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Currently, there’s no unified digital system for HPN/TPN care in Ireland.
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Patients rely on fragmented communication → delayed interventions.
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NOVA would create a single digital touchpoint, supporting safety, quality and patient experience.
How VIDA & NOVA Would Work Together
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VIDA would build the big picture: a proposed national register would show the full landscape of TPN, HPN and intestinal failure (IF) care in Ireland.
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NOVA would connect the dots: a patient app could turn that picture into practical support, with better monitoring and clearer communication between patients and clinicians.
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Together:
VIDA provides the evidence. NOVA supports the care.
Why Patients Need This
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Better care, sooner: earlier recognition of complications could lead to quicker help and fewer hospital admissions.
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Your voice matters: VIDA would help make sure patient experiences are counted in national planning.
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More joined-up care: NOVA aims to reduce the frustration of fragmented communication between hospitals, community teams and carers.
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Quality of life: combining real-world evidence with patient-centred technology to build services that work for patients, not around them.
Why This Matters for Patients
A step towards a national framework for TPN, HPN and intestinal failure care in Ireland.
Secure, GDPR-compliant design, with patients at the centre.
Evidence-based advocacy so that services match patient needs.
Supporting patients and carers, and giving clinicians the information they need to deliver safe, consistent care.
Both projects are proposals and would be developed only with appropriate HSE clinical, data-protection and governance approval.