Malnutrition Risk Assessments

This assignment will discuss a trust adapted version of the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST). It will demonstrate an understanding of theoretical knowledge used to develop the assessment tool. The assignment will focus on three components within the tool; discussing the reliability and validity when used in a clinical environment. A reflection of my own experience using the tool will be included and linked to aspects of reliability. Any issues with reliability will be identified and suggestions given on how they can be corrected to aid future use.

* Explain individuals about the importance of a healthy diet and encourage and support the m to choose healthy options and alternatives.

What nutrients are and how they affect our body, malnutrition, deficiency etc. The guidelines which determine nutritional health including dietary reference values (DRV), what a balanced diet is and how to maintain this, what BMI is and how to calculate it, the eat well plate, I will explain possible influences on dietary intake, assess how these influences may affect the nutritional health of individuals and I will also make realistic recommendations for minimising the impact of negative influences on individuals in a specific health and social care setting.

In this section we show how you plan to evaluate your approach to food and drink provision throughout the setting and review the food policy. For example: using the Code of Practice Checklist to evaluate the setting’s approach to food and drink provision, feedback from parents, carers, keeping up to date with current good practice on meeting the welfare requirements for food and drink, regularly review staff training, reviewing the food policy at least once a

Documentation of follow-up on the reviewed chart included: current nutritional status level, the status of previously identified nutritional problem, reassessment of the nutritional status risk and the appropriateness of the diet. Additionally, it included recommended continuation of nutritional intervention as well as the next follow-up

The Registered Dietitian Nutritionist needs to be able to have the pulse and problems affecting the previously mentioned social groups in order to intervene and improve the care provided by health care professionals in charge of these vulnerable communities. Hospitals and social services need to include the RDN in the medical decision making to affect the nutritional needs of the patient. “ An integrated approach is critical with the support from social services, mental health professionals and medical care whenever appropriate” (eatrightpro.org). Healthy eating is paramount and required for the healing of an injured or sick individual. RDN’s must be diligent in meeting the caloric and nutrient rich diets of acutely ill or trauma patients in order to forecast and replenish the nutritious needs of these in these vulnerable patients. It is imperative factor to provide essential nutrition during these critical phases in order to prevent malnutrition to facilitate healing and health restoration. According to eatrightpro.org, malnutrition affects an estimated 30% to 50% of adult hospitalized patients in the United States. A very small percentage of patients actually leave the hospital with a malnutrition diagnosis. The more we learn about food and its nutritious value in medicine continues to evolve and we must keep the dialogue open and honest among nutritionist and health care providers to affect the prognosis of the injured or

Patient malnutrition is a very real and serious matter; it can lead to a worsening of the patient's

The Evidence Analysis Library is an online resource of a combination of nutritional research providing guidance in making evidence based decisions; providing answers with given grades that indicate overall strength or weakness of such conclusion. Other useful resources available from AND are the Nutrition Care Manual that help practitioners increase the use of the problem solving method such as the nutrition care process. One important, indispensible tool is the International Dietetics and Nutrition Terminology (IDNT) that enforces standardized language across all the RDs. The IDNT’s main function is to describe and document the RDs practice of care in medical records, coding and billing. Positions papers from AND represent the academy’s current stand point, such as goals, mission, values and strategies. Such decisions are generated from current data, facts and research literature available. Position papers may be redacted or replaced as new evidence is being generated, in attempt to keep up with current

The flow chart also takes into consideration any weight loss and if the patient is acutely ill. Depending on the risk calculated (low, medium or high) there are steps to ensure what routine checks must be done or treatment that must commence, including collaborating with other professionals such as the hospital’s nutritional support team or a specialist dietician. The hospital in which the author worked under have also created an additional continuation sheet [see appendix 5] which enables the nurse or healthcare worker to document results accurately and in line with NMC (2009) record keeping standards.

Increased mortality rate (incidence of mortality of malnourished patients at 1 year being nearly 30% in 1 Australian study8)

in 2006 stated that nutritional demand increase in case of illness. Therefore, preserving the nutritional status of the hospitalized patients is the central feature of patient care. That is why, it is imperative to use screening tools to identify risk of malnutrition and to improve the nutrition status of patient. MUST is the screening tool that helps in assessing the risk of malnutrition in young as well as elder patients admitted in the AMU. NICE in 2006 highlighted that nutritional screening tools help in identifying the cases at early stage and resulting in decrease in length of stay in hospital.

Malnutrition is defined, by Merriam-Webster, as, “faulty nutrition due to inadequate or unbalance intake of nutrients or their impaired assimilation or utilization.” Malnutrition can affect both those who don’t eat enough and those who eat too much. You can be obese and malnourished due to eating only certain nutrients and not others. The body needs a balance of all nutrients. Prevention of malnutrition starts simply with eating a well balance diet based on the MyPlate recommendations. This helps will help a person eat the correct nutrients in the correct balance to avoid eating too many or too few of any one nutrient. The amount of different types of nutrients depends on the type of lifestyle someone leads. Someone who is more active will need more calories from carbohydrates and protein as compared to a sedentary person. Another way to help prevent malnutrition is education on what nutrients are and why you need them. There is a lot of misinformation out in the world and correct information can help prevent malnutrition. Some misinformation states that certain, necessary nutrients are bad for you, leading to people not eating them. Not eating these nutrients can lead to malnutrition. Malnutrition can lead to wasting of muscles, heart problems, and even death. Treatment depends on the cause of the malnutrition. For a person malnourished due to under-nutrition, the treatment includes increasing calories with a balance of nutrients. If it is bad enough, the nutrition may be supplied through an IV line or possible through a feeding tube (Nordqvist). This ensures the nutrients needed are supplied, along with the calories needed. For a person malnourished due to overconsumption, a diet with balanced nutrients and fewer calories is

Devise appropriate nutrition care plan for referred patients/residents including prescription of oral nutritional supplements and liaising with members of the MDT as appropriate

A healthy diet is important to help reduce the risk of any types of health problems within the body this can include heart disease, diabetes, obesity and other health related problems. It important for those who are giving care to others because they need to take into consideration each service users’ needs when planning or serving food to them for example someone with type 2 diabetes you should make sure that they are making healthier choices on things they should eat; having plenty of fruits and vegetables, these things will stop an complication in the future with this health condition.

Every living thing needs nutrition in order to be surviving and growing healthier. In somehow, government required every import and export food products need to have nutrition label to let the customer know the nutrition fact of product. This will helps and gives us the ideas to know what the sources are containing in the products. For as there is no mandatory nutrition school provided in small town of northeastern from Thailand, many of the families was struggle in eating disorder, underweight, hypertension, low blood pressure and abnormal body development issues. The average number of patients suffering from these common symptoms was increased rapidly every day at the town family clinic. As being part of this community, it made me unsatisfied and sympathy for those who suffering from nutrition illness issue. Unlike from this society that I now live in. I have just learned nutrition after I came to U.S. As I have learned the nutrition so far at high school, it helps me to maintain what I eat, what contained in the food product, how many calories I eat and much more. Many countries may have their purposes and reasons of providing mandatory nutrition education for students at any education level. During this semester, I would like to do the research about how the mandatory nutrition education involves and impact in students and parents’ lives in our society today and how the issues and factors are different from my