Importance of Nutrition Support Team - Essay Example

Nutrition Support Teams Importance of Nutrition Support Team Nutrition support also known as artificial feeding or parenteral nutrition is a therapy for people who are unable to get enough nourishment by drinking or eating. Nutrition support prevents malnutrition, which may delay recovery and result in nutrition-related ailments (A.S.P.E.N., 2015). Nutrition Support Team (s) consists of doctors, nutrition nurse specialists(s), pharmacist (s) and dietitians who contribute to nutritional support (Queen Elizabeth Hospital, 2015). However, there are several costs incurred in the organization of the nutrition support team, for instance, high expenditure incurred in the catering department (BAPEN 2015; Yeager, 2009). The nutritional support team provides artificial nutrition and maintains itself as the supreme source of evidence-based information about nutritional assessment and support. It audits practical standards of care and organizes ways to nutritional screening, monitoring, and assessment for doctors, nurses, and pharmacists. Nutritional Support Team also assesses different feeding routes and advises on alternative treatment options. Nutritional Support Team activities contribute to a shorter hospital stay, lower mortality rate, improved nutrition, and reduced complications (IrSPEN, 2013; Tan Tock Seng Hospital Nutrition and Dietetics Department 2015). Therefore, Nutritional Support Team decreases complications and healthcare costs through reductions in unrequited treatments and prevention of complications. Organizing of nutritional support teams incurs several costs. The costs are incurred in the clinicians or departments involved in the provision of adequate nutrition for patients. First, we have the catering staff. It is concerned with providing sufficient quantities of quality food to limit the unnecessary use of nutrition support. Patients who cannot feed on their receive food in a favorable environment. Therefore, there is spending of much cash in the provision of quality food and maintaining a healthy environment. Secondly, there are the dietitians who are concerned with the provision of nutritional support for patients who are unable to derive adequate nourishment from food. Dietitians provide nutritional screening and assessment, together with the stipulation of supplementary through oral, parenteral, and enteral routes to patients undergoing malnutrition. However, it is expensive to maintain the dietitians hence many finances spent. Third, the ward nurses look after the patients, undertake screening process, and instigate associated care pathways. They ensure patients meet their nutritional needs and understand the benefits of nutrition support by enteral, parenteral, and oral routes. However, to meet the salaries of the ward nurses is tedious hence a challenge. Finally, Nutritional Support Team has specialized nutrition support nurses who ensure safe and efficient delivery of nutrition support (National Institute for Health Care and Excellence, 2006). The specialized nurses train other healthcare professionals, coordinate the nutritional care of patients in hospitals, and supervise adherence to protocols for enteral and parenteral nutrition. Therefore, there is incurring of much finance or funds in the maintenance of specialized nurses. Notwithstanding the costs incurred, nutrition support and nutrition support team has several advantages. First, nutritional support team activities lead to lower mortality rate, shorter hospital stay improved nutrition and reduced complications. The nutritional support team activities include weekly ward rotations for nutrition prescription; education programs for pharmacists and nutritionists; and monthly training for medical practitioners for case studies of malnourished in each department (Liverpool Community Health NHS Trust, 2015). The activities help save medical expenses because patients receive most suitable, efficient, and cost-effective nutritional materials and correct handling of their side effects. For example, the nutritional support team has improved the method of nutrition supply. The nutrition supply methods for severe victims unable to consume food orally include; enteral nutrition (EN), that is, direct stipulation of nutrients via stomach through tube injection. Others include parenteral nutrition (PN) (The Royal Childrens Hospital Melbourne, 2015). That is, direct feeding of nutrients into the blood. EN is less expensive to PN hence a decrease in the use of high-priced PN due to nutritional support team activities help reduce medical costs. Nutrition support and nutrition support team prevents malnutrition, which is associated with increased complications and hospital cost. Malnutrition makes patients develop complications such as infections especially in the aged or post-operative problems like prolonged wound healing or infectious complications. Malnutrition results in increased frequency or multi-organ malfunction in critically ill patients which if not corrected would result in single or multi-organ failure. There would be an increase in morbidity and mortality even in discharge from the hospital, which is a problem. These challenges would lead to increased utilization of services, resources, and finally prolonged hospital stay. These problems would later result in increased cost, which would be a main source of pressure on the hospital’s funds. In addition, nutrition support team enables detection and management of malnutrition, which improves the savings for both patient and the hospital and better patient care. Early identification and management of severe malnutrition would boost the health outcome of the patient. For instance, there is fewer complications and mortality among surgical patients whose pre-operative nutritional build-up or post-operative nutrition delivery is adequate. The quality of life improves when patients receive parenteral nutrition or tube feeding. Nutrition improves immune status, which has a significant role in wellness or increasing complications through heightened inflammatory state. Therefore, nutrition support team helps in the reduction of morbidity, mortality and cost of delivering specialized services like parenteral nutrition hence increased savings for both patient and the hospital. Nutrition support team provides training and education of other staff, caregivers, and patients (Nestle Nutrition Institute, 2015). The group entails medical doctors (a gastroenterologist, two surgeons, two endocrinologists, a pediatrician, and an oncologist), two pharmacists, two nutritionists, registered nurse in the surgical intensive care unit, and a registered nurse in the medical intensive care unit. The nutrition support team trains the medical staff to help in the minimization of fasting period. For instance, nutritional conditions of hospitalized patients worsen with the protraction of their fasting period due to the failure of medical practitioners to provide nutrition for the patients for examination, surgery among others (National Institute for Health Care and Excellence, 2006). The provision of nutrition should commence immediately once the surgeries are over because frequent fasting weakens the immunity of patients hence putting them at a higher risk of in-hospital infection. The nutrition support team also recommends using the duration when patients go to sleep. These pieces of training and teachings contribute to efficient and effective delivery of service hence minimizing the cost incurred by the hospital or the healthcare facility. Nutrition support and nutrition support team helps in the reduction of unnecessary treatments. Earlier provision of adequate and essential diet to patients helps fight several diseases before stabilizing in the human system (Mater Health Services, 2015). A Proper diet to the patients will enhance efficient and effective digestion. Therefore, there will be no malnutrition in the patient (National Institute for Health Care and Excellence, 2012). The patient recovers faster due to proper nutrition hence no need for medications or treatments. Reduction of unnecessary procedures minimizes the usage services and resources such as human (Labor), physical (equipment) and financial resources. Therefore, there is an improvement of the overall saving of the health care cost (National Collaborating Centre for Acute Care, UK 2006). Nutrition support team helps in the prevention of complications such as mechanical, metabolic, and infective complications. Proper nutrition protects the body from ailments such as marasmus, kwashiorkor among others (National Collaborating Centre for Acute Care, 2006). Effective support nutrition in the hospital would enable patients to recover from malnutrition diseases and prevent further complications (National Collaborating Centre for Acute Care UK, 2006; USDA, 2014). Therefore, there will be no or low use of resources to combat the ailments hence increased savings or retained earnings in the healthcare sector or hospital. Nutrition support team provides pharmaceutical advice on stability and compatibility of drugs and Parenteral Nutrition regimens. The hospital would be able to purchase the required drug without wastage (Cleveland Clinic, 2015). Therefore, there will be increased saving because the hospital would be more vigilant in the procurement (Brotherton, Simmonds & Stroud, 2010). The nutrition support team also helps in audit and acts as a point of contact for patients and carers for home enteral nutrition or home parenteral nutrition (Neelemaat, Thijs, Seidell & Bosmans 2010). Therefore, there is an increase in the healthcare saving. In summary, it is evident that nutrition support and nutrition support team has reduced cost complications through the reduction in unnecessary treatments and prevention of complications. Therefore, increased saving in the healthcare cost (Walgreens, 2013). Bibliography American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (A.S.P.E.N.) 2015, What Is a Nutrition Support Professional, Retrieved April 27, 2015 from https://www.nutritioncare.org/what-is-a-NSP/ BAPEN 2015, Nutrition Support Team(s) (NST), Organization for Food and Nutritional Support in Hospitals. Retrieved April 27, 2015 from http://www.bapen.org.uk/ofnsh/page7.html Brotherton, A., Simmonds, N & Stroud, M 2010, Malnutrition Matters Meeting Quality Standards in Nutritional Care, Retrieved April 27, 2015 from http://www.bapen.org.uk/pdfs/toolkit-for-commissioners.pdf Cleveland Clinic 2015, Nutrition Support, Retrieved April 27, 2015 from http://my.clevelandclinic.org/services/digestive_diseases/departments-centers/center-human-nutrition/nutrition-support IrSPEN, September 2013, A Review of Home Parenteral Nutrition in Ireland: Recommendations for Action, IrSPEN SPECIAL REPORT No 1. Retrieved April 27, 2015 from http://www.irspen.ie/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/report_final5.pdf Liverpool Community Health NHS Trust 2015, Nutrition Support Team, Retrieved April 27, 2015 from http://www.liverpoolcommunityhealth.nhs.uk/health-services/nutrition-support-team.htm Mater Health Services 2015, Nutrition and Dietetics: Mater Nutrition and Dietetics, Retrieved April 27, 2015 from http://www.mater.org.au/Home/Services/Allied-Health/Nutrition-and-Dietetics National Collaborating Centre for Acute Care 2006, Nutrition Support for Adults Oral Nutrition Support, Enteral Tube Feeding and Parenteral Nutrition, Retrieved April 27, 2015 from http://www.scottishintensivecare.org.uk/uploads/2014-05-28-20-53-04-NICENutritionGuidelinespd-78921.pdf National Collaborating Centre for Acute Care UK 2006, Nutrition Support for Adults: oral nutrition support, enteral tube feeding and parenteral nutrition. National Collaborating Centre for Acute Care (UK). Retrieved April 27, 2015 from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK49259/ National Collaborating Centre for Acute Care, UK 2006, Nutrition Support for Adults: oral nutrition support, enteral tube feeding and parenteral nutrition, National Collaborating Centre for Acute Care (UK). National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved April 27, 2015 from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK49273/ National Institute for Health Care and Excellence, February 2006, Nutrition support in adults, Oral nutrition support, enteral tube feeding and parenteral nutrition, NICE clinical guideline 32. Retrieved April 27, 2015 from http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg32/resources/guidance-nutrition-support-in-adults-pdf National Institute for Health Care and Excellence, February 2006, Nutrition support in adults: oral nutrition support, enteral tube feeding and parenteral nutrition, NICE Clinical Guideline no. 32, Retrieved April 27, 2015 from https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg32/resources/nutrition-support-in-adults-costing-report2 National Institute for Health Care and Excellence, November 2012, NICE support for commissioners and others using the quality standard on nutrition support in adults, Retrieved April 27, 2015 from http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/qs24/resources/qs24-nutrition-support-in-adults-nice-support-for-commissioners-and-others2 Neelemaat, F., Thijs, A., Seidell, J. C., & Bosmans, J. E 2010, Study protocol: Cost-effectiveness of transmural nutritional support in malnourished elderly patients in comparison with usual care. Nutrition Journal, 9, 1, p. 6. http://www.nutritionj.com/content/9/1/6 Nestle Nutrition Institute 2015, Nutrition Support Team: Role of Dietician and Nursing: Nestle, Retrieved April 27, 2015 from https://www.nestlenutrition-institute.org/country/in/resources/Conference/Pages/nutrition-support-team-role-of-dietician-and-nursing.aspx Queen Elizabeth Hospital 2015, Nutrition Nurse Team, April 27, 2015 retrieved from http://www.uhb.nhs.uk/nutrition-nurse-team.htm Tan Tock Seng Hospital Nutrition and Dietetics Department 2015, Nutrition and Dietetics, Retrieved April 27, 2015 from https://www.ttsh.com.sg/nutrition/ The Royal Childrens Hospital Melbourne 2015, Parenteral Nutrition PN, Retrieved April 27, 2015 from http://www.rch.org.au/rchcpg/hospital_clinical_guideline_index/Parenteral_Nutrition_PN/ USDA 2014, USDA’s WIC Program Has Provided Nutrition Support for New Mothers, Young Children for Over 40 Years, USDA Retrieved April 27, 2015 from http://www.fns.usda.gov/pressrelease/2014/fns-001014 Walgreens, 2013 February 11, Home Nutrition Support Team Interventions Prevent Hospitalizations, Reduce Costs for Clinical Nutrition Patients, Retrieved April 27, 2015 from http://news.walgreens.com/press-releases/community-news/home-nutrition-support-team-interventions-prevent-hospitalizations-reduce-costs-for-clinical-nutrition-patients.htm Yeager, D January 2009, Team Spirit: Pulling Together to Create Effective Nutrition, Today’s Dietitian, 11.1, p.44. Retrieved April 27, 2015 from http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/011209p44.shtml Read More