Nutritional diagnosis for patient safety

Abstract

Introduction: Malnutrition in hospitals is a cause for concern and is often overlooked. Its main complications are: increased length of stay, increased risk of surgical complications, pressure injuries, mortality and hospital costs. Aim: The aim of the EMTN (Multidisciplinary Nutritional Therapy Team) is to identify patients at nutritional risk using the NRS 2002. Methodology: Using a tool considered the gold standard in nutritional risk analysis (Nutritional Risk Screening - NRS 2002) and certified by the European Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ESPEN), the nutritionist carries out nutritional screening (NT). Results: In all the patients admitted to the ICU using the NRS 2002, it indicated that 46% (21) of the patients were at nutritional risk, an index similar to the IBRANUTRI. Of these, 60% (12) used oral nutritional therapy and 14% (3) used enteral nutritional therapy (ENT). We observed that the ratio between the prescribed and infused diet was 88% in the patients who used ENT in 2024. This figure meets the recommendations of the Quality Indicators for Nutritional Therapy and is higher than that found in a study carried out in 2019. Early initiation of NUT helps in this protection process and with the partnership of the nursing team we performed NUT in 100% of the patients admitted to the ICU, discussed with the multidisciplinary team and early initiation of NUT. Conclusion: This activity is being extended to the other CAISM wards in accordance with each unit's protocol.