Introduction of Malnutrition Management on two Specialized University Clinics

PURPOSE To describe the introduction of a malnutrition management program designed to improve the identification of malnourished patients, optimize the recording of patients' nutritional intake, and streamline the initiation of adequate nutritional therapy through the medical personnel. Problems encountered in the introduction of such a management program are described and possible solutions are discussed. MATERIAL AND METHODS On 2 specialized university clinics, the standardized and validated malnutrition screening tool introduced by Kondrup et al. was used to identify patients with malnutrition or at risk of becoming malnourished. The plate diagram and nutritional protocols were used as aides to record the amount of food eaten. For malnourished patients and patients at high risk of malnutrition, a nutritional plan of action was established and used by the medical personnel. RESULTS Over a period of 6 months, 138 consecutive patients from the dermatological clinic and 74 from the gynaecological clinic were enrolled. Of those, 31 and 36 %, respectively, were malnourished or at high risk of becoming malnourished. The malnutrition management program was introduced with an intensive effort including lectures and continuing education for all clinical personnel. CONCLUSION The medical personnel were sensitized to the problem of malnutrition in hospitals. The treatment strategies and therapeutic goals were successfully developed and introduced through an interdisciplinary and interprofessional approach. Following presentation of the results to the directors of the involved clinics, the malnutrition management program has been incorporated in these clinics' daily routines.