Portland, OR - The American Society of Parenteral & Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN) recognizes a need for greater awareness and has worked to establish Malnutrition Awareness Week™ (MAW) as an official National Health Observance. The Oregon Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics, a professional organization representing a membership of 750 Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDN) and Nutrition & Dietetic Technicians, Registered, joins ASPEN and urges Oregon Healthcare Stakeholders to also recognize September 18-22 by collaborating with an RDN to explore ways to optimize the nutritional health of the Oregon patient population. In addition, Oregon Governor Kate Brown, in support of the Oregon Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics, has officially proclaimed September 18-22, 2017 as Malnutrition Awareness Week.
The data specific to the impact of disease related malnutrition on key healthcare initiatives is profound. Most malnutrition related hospital stays were 2-3x longer than those without malnutrition. Surgical patients with malnutrition have 4x the higher risk of pressure injury development and a >5x risk of a catheter associated urinary tract infection. According to healthcare economic experts, the annual burden of disease-associated malnutrition in Oregon is $54 million dollars.
“Malnutrition is not a new problem, but has been described as the ‘Skeleton in the Hospital Closet,’” says Robyn Velander, registered dietitian and policy committee member of the Oregon Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics. “Malnutrition, or undernutrition, looks much different today than it did 10 years ago. Malnutrition is not just a thin, underweight, starvation-like individual. It impacts people of all shapes and sizes, including those with obesity.”
The current era of healthcare delivery, with its focus on providing high-quality, affordable care, presents many challenges to hospital based health professionals. The prevention and treatment of hospital malnutrition offers a tremendous opportunity to address core patient treatment, improving the overall quality of patient care, improve clinical outcomes, and reduce costs. Unfortunately, malnutrition continues to go unrecognized and untreated in many hospitalized patients. It is well recognized that malnutrition is associated with adverse clinical outcomes. Today, it is estimated that at least one-third of patients arrive at the hospital malnourished, and, if left untreated, many of those patients will continue to decline nutritionally, which may adversely impact their recovery and increase their risk of complications and readmission
As healthcare administrators evaluate their current practices and adopt strategies focused on cost effective and evidence based care, it is critical that malnutrition risk screening & intervention be adopted as part of a comprehensive nutrition care model. To learn more, including a detailed look at what the ideal malnutrition workflow should look like, visit the Malnutrition Quality Improvement Initiative website, a project of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Avalere Health, and other stakeholders: http://mqii.defeatmalnutrition.today/
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is the world's largest organization of food and nutrition professionals. The Academy is committed to improving the nation’s health and advancing the profession of dietetics through research, education and advocacy.
