OBJECTIVES: The nursing for patient with acute pancreatitis lies in many hospitals on nursing tradition using task centered approach which is not meeting the evidence-based requirements of today nursing. The medical professional development in treating pancreatitis demands the use of evidence based guidelines in nursing. Our study examines the importance of using and evaluating the evidence based guidelines for patient during the naso-jejunal tube feeding. METHODS: In a retrospective data analysis the effectiveness of nursing process during naso-jejunal tube feeding was evaluated by a self-developed special index for nursing process. The examined period was between January 1 - February 31, 2003 in a district hospital in Budapest (Hungary). Some outcomes measures, like changing in the nutritional status of the patients, energy level, adequacy level of nurturing process. The data analysis was done by SPSS 11.0. RESULTS: During the period 144 patient were nurtured with naso-jejunal tube because of acute pancreatitis. 103 cases were appropriate for further analysis. The average age was 54 years (Rmax:22, Rmin:90), male: 52, female 51. The patients were grouped into three groups (normal, under and over nurtured) based on BMI, Harris Benedict index, Broca index. The main significant aspects in the patient outcomes were: fluent information flow among nurses caring for the given patient, the balanced and continuous nutritional nursing process, planed nutrition. There was a clear significant association between adverse patient outcome and poor nursing process (p=0.0034). CONCLUSION: The best evidence based guideline may only improve the effectiveness of nursing process if the whole process is continuously controlled. The results also emphasize the nutrition based on individual needs, guideline based nursing process, the tool for continuous evaluation of the nurturing process.