Nutrition support can assist patients in maintaining or increasing their proportion of lean body mass while improving quality of life. It can be provided through artificial feeding using commercial nutrient mixtures or tube feeding.
Hospitals that provide nutritional support services are more likely to offer effective care for malnourished patients. A nutritional support team should include physicians, dietitians and pharmacists.
What is it?
Nutritional support involves eating a balanced diet to ensure you are receiving all the necessary vitamins and minerals, or artificial nutritional support (also known as tube feeding) via artificial nutrition therapy which delivers liquid formula directly into the stomach or through an IV when you cannot consume your food by mouth.
Many residents in skilled nursing facilities require careful diet management in order to remain healthy. Skilled nursing teams work alongside dietitians in devising meal plans designed to meet each resident’s nutritional requirements.
Know when and why to utilize nutrition support therapy can be key in maintaining a healthy weight and increasing quality of life. Recognizing signs of malnutrition and the refeeding syndrome as well as understanding its benefits in terms of morbidity and mortality reduction is crucial, including being aware of when to utilize parenteral nutrition (PN).
How does it work?
Nutritional care is an integral part of skilled nursing care, aiding healing, reducing complications and supporting overall well-being. Patients living with chronic medical conditions require extra consideration regarding their dietary restrictions or weight changes – this may involve meal planning for them specifically or tracking changes over time.
An interprofessional healthcare team, including dietitians, nurses and physicians is essential to providing optimal nutrition care. A dietitian will review a person’s medical history and test results in order to recommend what diet will best meet their nutritional needs.
The team will also evaluate and monitor how an individual responds to his/her diet, making necessary adjustments over time. Nutrition support therapy may be administered orally, through feeding tubes (enteral nutrition or PN), or intravenously depending on its indication. Nutrient formulas used in each form of nutrition support are tailored specifically for that person’s unique clinical circumstances and specially-designed to address them effectively. Nutritional assistance may help avoid intensive care unit-acquired muscle weakness caused by critical illness.
Why is it important?
Nutritional support is crucial in order for patients to obtain all of the essential vitamins and minerals required for good health, thereby helping prevent malnutrition.
Skilled nursing facilities employ registered dietitians to offer balanced meal plans that are both delicious and nutritional. Residents with diabetes might need meals designed to manage their blood sugar levels; those living with cardiovascular diseases might require diets with reduced sodium and saturated fat intake.
Nutritional support should be considered in cases of head injury, where protracted semi-starvation will occur; or for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy or radiation therapy where damage to their gastrointestinal tracts could impede adequate nutrient absorption (Hickey and Jacobs 1979). Although its potential benefit in terms of reduced muscle wasting has yet to be proven due to inadequate sample sizes, inadequate controls, and poorly defined outcomes in clinical trials (particularly with older persons), its significance cannot be overstated: without sufficient nourishment patients are at greater risk and at greater risk for death (Hickey and Jacobs 1979). Nonetheless, nutrition cannot be underestimated: without adequate nourishment patients cannot experience their best quality of life as they cannot receive optimal healthcare treatment; without adequate nourishment they cannot live their potential and face increased mortality risks when receiving medical care ( Hickie and Jacobs 1979).
