Malnutrition In Health And Social Care

In this assignment I will be describing the characteristics of nutrients and the benefits to the body.

This assignment will discuss a trust adapted version of the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST). It will demonstrate an understanding of theoretical knowledge used to develop the assessment tool. The assignment will focus on three components within the tool; discussing the reliability and validity when used in a clinical environment. A reflection of my own experience using the tool will be included and linked to aspects of reliability. Any issues with reliability will be identified and suggestions given on how they can be corrected to aid future use.

Increased mortality rate (incidence of mortality of malnourished patients at 1 year being nearly 30% in 1 Australian study8)

Mother of five, Cynthia, has a steady job at a nursing home as well as a supportive husband yet struggles to feed her family on a daily basis. Like many other Americans she does not qualify for government assistance because she makes too much; in her case thirty eight dollars too much. In cases like Cynthia’s, options seem incredibly limited and there is often no assistance for feeding her family (abcnews). Over 12 million children under the age of eighteen in the United States are food insecure. Meaning they are unable to consistently access adequate amounts of nutritious food necessary for a healthy life. More than three million children under the age of five are food insecure (Insecurity2012).

The Registered Dietitian Nutritionist needs to be able to have the pulse and problems affecting the previously mentioned social groups in order to intervene and improve the care provided by health care professionals in charge of these vulnerable communities. Hospitals and social services need to include the RDN in the medical decision making to affect the nutritional needs of the patient. “ An integrated approach is critical with the support from social services, mental health professionals and medical care whenever appropriate” (eatrightpro.org). Healthy eating is paramount and required for the healing of an injured or sick individual. RDN’s must be diligent in meeting the caloric and nutrient rich diets of acutely ill or trauma patients in order to forecast and replenish the nutritious needs of these in these vulnerable patients. It is imperative factor to provide essential nutrition during these critical phases in order to prevent malnutrition to facilitate healing and health restoration. According to eatrightpro.org, malnutrition affects an estimated 30% to 50% of adult hospitalized patients in the United States. A very small percentage of patients actually leave the hospital with a malnutrition diagnosis. The more we learn about food and its nutritious value in medicine continues to evolve and we must keep the dialogue open and honest among nutritionist and health care providers to affect the prognosis of the injured or

While reading chapter one of the book “Nutrition Essentials for Nursing Practice” (2014), I developed interest on the physical symptoms suggestive of malnutrition. According to Susan G. Dudek a nursing diagnosis has to be based on a patient first nutritional assessment (p.9-11). Dudek stated in her book the four steps of a nutritional care process in which assessment is the primary stage of this concept. However, since the word assessment incorporates the patients physical findings, poor or delayed wound sores can be determine by the inadequate malnutrition of a human being (2014).

the patient from having to wait for a long time as well as giving the doctor

Nurses use the enhanced nutritional care by screening the patient using the “Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool” (MUST) to discover if patients are malnourished, deciding on what to do prevent the patient from malnutrition by monitoring and observing the patient when they eat, improving their preference of food to make sure patients have a balanced diet, and evaluating if patients are eating what they receive from nurses and if they are properly nourished. The RCN’s “Nutrition Now” campaign has made preventing malnutrition a goal by creating principles, such as being responsible for making changes to nutrition and hydration care plans, since “nutrition is essential for life, as vital as medication and other types of treatment” (Royal College of Nursing, 2016). Using the enhanced nutritional care principles, the Canadian Malnutrition Task Force created the Integrated Nutritional Pathway for Acute Care (INPAC) algorithm for discovering, treating and monitoring patients who are malnourished in acute

The market’s demand for Bolivian people to be healthier. Malnutrition is crippling Bolivia,. Malnutrition poses the greatest risk to pregnant women and young children. Healthier populations have lower fertility rates, higher labor productivity, and national investment over time. Improvements in health set in motion rising family incomes and usually poverty reduction Twenty-five percent of Bolivian children under the age of three years old have or currently suffering from malnutrition. Malnutrition for children in the poorest households is 40 percent.

Malnutrition continues to be a major health burden throughout the developing world, especially in southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Each form of malnutrition depends on what nutrients are missing in the diet, for how long and at what age. The most basic kind results from a deficiency in all major macronutrients, such as fats, proteins and carbohydrates, called protein-energy malnutrition. Other forms of malnutrition are less obvious, but not necessarily less deadly. They are usually the result of a diet lacking in micronutrients, such as electrolytes, minerals and vitamins. Deficiencies of iron, vitamin A and zinc are ranked among the World Health Organization's top 10 leading causes of death through disease in developing countries. (WFP,

Due to the cramped living conditions, poor hygiene, and shortage of food, sickness and disease circulated below the decks of the slave ships. One of the most significant physical health problems was malnutrition. The quantity and quality of food were both inadequate, as the ship crews did not want to squander resources to purchase proper nutrition. Items, such as fresh meat and fruits, added an additional expense that would cut deep into the captain’s pocket. Food, onboard the slave ships, was substandard. The African slaves’ diet consisted primarily of horse beans, yams, and rice. The slaves evidently did not have much to consume, which ultimately affected their bodies’ ability to repel infections:

Malnutrition is not the only thing that effects children universally as they age. This is because children who are “living in poverty are deprived of…sanitation facilities, access to basic health-care services, shelter, education, participation, and protection,” (Gordan 281.) This strips children who live in poverty, the rights that they deserve and need in order to excel academically, as well as partake in their society as a full fledge member. With such limited resources for these children, it is no wonder that they can not rise above their poverty and do better for themselves and others. They will, just like their parents, be dragged into the vicious cycle of poverty that offers no way out for those inside. The horrible truth of child poverty,

For most us Americans, knowing when we’re going to eat next is something we very rarely think of, and when we do think about being hungry we still know where our food is coming from. Three big meals a day, and a few snacks in between, is how most of us live. It’s hard for us to imagine what its like for those who go days eating very little or nothing at all. But unfortunately that’s how it is for most of the world and surprisingly it happens in the United Sates as well. There are many reasons malnutrition can happen, and it happens to every age group. Even though there are many ways to treat it, in the

      Physiological changes and changes in nutritional requirements are not the only cause of elderly malnutrition.  Illness and physical limitations often affect nutritional status, as 19.7% of people over age 65 have at least one disability and 28.8% reported a limitation caused by a chronic condition (9).  For

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