Malnutrition In Acute Care

In this assignment I will be describing the characteristics of nutrients and the benefits to the body.

In addition to promoting health and reduce risk for disease, nurses play an important role in ensuring that proper disease management is in effect. Disease management is the implementation of the client plan of care prescribed by the physician and includes reminders, education, and other materials. Disease management requires suitable support to improve patient self-management activities and monitor recommended care for each client (“Disease management (position paper),” 2012). Examples of disease management by the nurse will be to monitor client compliance to prescribed diet and evaluate interventions outcomes.

Over the period of admission Mr Smith was observed to have loss of appetite which can have a direct impact on his glucose levels as he is diabetic and generally impact the rate of recovery from the infection as nutrients such as Protein is needed to maintain the individual’s health (Snooks, 2009). Furthermore, malnutrition can put an elderly patient at higher risk of Pneumonia. Similarly, the patient may not feel like drinking fluids and this can put them at risk of becoming dehydrated, which can lead to fatigue (BMJ, 2016). An intake of sufficient liquids can promote the lungs to keep the secretions thin and easy to cough up. Also, sufficient fluid uptake can prevent constipation (NHS Oxleas, 2017). Mr smith was put on a fluid and diet chart to help encourage and monitor his intake.

Nutrition is essential for the whole being of the individual. The body needs nutrients to be healthy and fight off acute illnesses and infections. Mauk (2014) stated that “elderly clients may be at increased risk for poor nutrition due to the fact that they have multiple chronic illnesses… that can interfere with their

There were numerous limitations to the study; there was heterogeneity in the provision and reporting of nutritional supplementation, which may have influenced the results (Kramer et al., 2012). In implementing findings, nurses must closely monitor blood glucose levels in the intensive care unit. Due to the findings of this systematic review, nurses should implement moderate glycemic control to reduce the mortality rate in ICUs (Kramer et al., 2012).

Initially when admitted to hospital the Malnutritional Universal Screening Tool (MUST) is completed within 24 hours of admission throughout NHS Tayside.(NHS Tayside must sheet)MUST is supported by the royal college of nursing and the registered nursing home association.

By creating these small adjustments in the patient’s nutritional care, the patient’s independence and dignity are maintained. The patient, such as a stroke patient in rehabilitation, may also be reluctant to take an active role in their nutritional care so firm encouragement by the carer is needed. The presentation and availability of food and drink must also be assessed to deliver person-centred care (BAPEN REF). Patients may forego food if it looks unappetizing so it is important to serve meals that are visually appealing. Serving appetizing meals may also protect against malnutrition (BAPEN REF). Although protected mealtimes ensure that food and drink is given to every patient with minimal distraction, some patients may become hungry or thirsty in the hours between meals. Making food, like sandwiches or toast, and water available to patients may reduce the risk of malnutrition and dehydration and improve patients’ wellbeing (BAPEN REF). Good nutritional care achieved by person-centred practice means not only reducing risk of malnutrition and fluid imbalance but improving the patient’s quality of life,

These health care teams often are made up of many different types of professionals including doctors, physician assistants, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, therapists, registered dietitians (RD), and many other different types of technologists and technicians. Although all of these members of the team are essential, the role registered dietitian’s play and the knowledge they contribute is vital to many different specialties in health care. According to a study by Kelly Adams, Karen Lindell, Martin Kolhmeier, and Steven Zeisel, only 30% of medical schools require an actual separate course in nutrition. Although their curriculum may include nutrition throughout the many different courses a physician has to take, this is an inadequate amount of time being spent on nutrition to be considered and expert in this field, which results in the vitality of having and maintaining a RD on their team. Nutrition can prevent and help treat many different problems that arise in clinical care and the different specialties that it entails.

The nurses play a key role in developing and implementing sound education materials for patient, family and community education. The nurse needs to assess each client’s individual nutritional needs by monitoring and intervening with the client’s required acute and nutritional care. Since every client’s plan of care is individualized, the family’s nutritional habits, social, cultural, and physical norms need to be taken into consideration when conducting the assessment. Nurses play an active role in surveying and teaching community groups using a collaborative and interprofessional approach with data collected by the nurses and providers, while the nurse also monitors and evaluates the given interventions. For example, a patient’s pre-pregnancy nutrition is highly important and nurses need to educate the clients to take the recommended daily dosages of prenatal vitamins. The client might not know that she is pregnant and early fetal development occurs before a woman may realize she is pregnant. If the client doesn’t take the required amount of nutrients, the baby will have problems later in life like neural tube defects, a low birth weight, and other problems later in life. Another example is that nurses need to explain to clients that if they have a disease or disorder that to a have a therapeutic nutrition, he or she may need to make

Maintenance of sufficient nutrition is an essential part of the treatment process for any patient admitted to the hospital. Early identification of patients who have a decreased nutrition status or have nutritional deficits helps to increase healing and overall improves the quality of life for a patient. Nutrition is more than just general food; it includes the overall amounts of

Advance Practice Nurse (APN) has a significant role in nutrition implementation to the critical care practice. APNs in acute and critical care settings impact outcomes for patients, families, and evidence-based practice. APNs research the high-quality evidence-based literature, share information and skills with colleagues, and implement evidence-based guidelines into the practice

Malnutrition is defined as the under or over nutrition in older people.(Aging & Health,2012) Under nutrition occurs when one does not eat enough which can lead to weight loss and other health issues such as poor wound healing and exacerbate more chronic health conditions such as wasting away from HIV.(Aging & Health,2012) Over nutrition can lead to weight gain leading to morbid obesity with can cause a host of other issues such as developing diabetes and also exacerbate other chronic health conditions such as hypertension and heart disease.(Aging & Health,2012)

      Physiological changes and changes in nutritional requirements are not the only cause of elderly malnutrition.  Illness and physical limitations often affect nutritional status, as 19.7% of people over age 65 have at least one disability and 28.8% reported a limitation caused by a chronic condition (9).  For

For most us Americans, knowing when we’re going to eat next is something we very rarely think of, and when we do think about being hungry we still know where our food is coming from. Three big meals a day, and a few snacks in between, is how most of us live. It’s hard for us to imagine what its like for those who go days eating very little or nothing at all. But unfortunately that’s how it is for most of the world and surprisingly it happens in the United Sates as well. There are many reasons malnutrition can happen, and it happens to every age group. Even though there are many ways to treat it, in the

Displeased by the number of his patients who were dying in diabetic ketoacidosis, he began to look into the work of Dr. Frederick Allen, who at the time had applied the practice of prolonging the lives of diabetes’ patients by means of a closely-monitored diet that consisted of restricting carbohydrates, as well as other macronutrients. Individualized testing would be performed on diabetic patients to determine the lowest possible caloric intake a patient could survive on and then put him or her on an extremely strict diet regimen, accordingly. Food consumed would also be as devoid of nutrients as possible. Joslin combined “Benedict’s balance study format with the Allen diets to show that ‘undernutrition’ prolonged the life of his patients,” who were often close to death from either acidosis or diabetes-related infection prior to his intervention (dlife). His patients were admitted to living cottage units in New England Deaconess Hospital. The School of Nursing later partnered with the hospital, leading to the “rigorous training programme that provided him with well-disciplined nurses for the measure-diet programme” (Joslin Center).