Are we seeing more malnourished patients? Is this a new epidemic? No. What we’re seeing is a condition that’s always been here, but that is now being addressed and documented.
More than two years ago we adopted the ASPEN criteria for how to distinguish malnutrition. Our dietitians went through extensive training on how to ask the right questions and do a quick physical assessment looking for key elements such as: insufficient energy intake, weight loss (especially unintentional), loss of muscle mass, loss of subcutaneous fat, localized or generalized fluid accumulation and diminished functional status.
BMI is no longer the main “tell all” when it comes to assessing someone’s nutritional status. Additionally albumin and pre-albumin are associated with the presence of inflammation instead of malnutrition.
Through a collaborative effort of Salem Health dietitians and clinical documentation improvement specialist RNs, we have successfully gotten the word out to physicians who have added the necessary documentation into the health record, resulting in treatment being made available to assist in the healing process. Due to this collaboration, the number of patients diagnosed and treated for malnutrition from July 2014 to June 2015 was 208 percent of baseline. We want to thank everyone involved for helping us to make a difference in the lives of our patients!