2024-09-27 11:00:45
WHO/Europe recently addressed the risk posed by malnutrition in hospitalized patients, particularly among vulnerable groups, including the elderly and people with non-communicable diseases such as cancer or diabetes. Likewise, it highlights the cost-effectiveness of nutritional care, understanding that improved patient outcomes lead to reduced long-term healthcare costs.
Disease-associated malnutrition can be caused by almost any acute or chronic disease, including non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Currently, this disorder can affect around 50% of hospitalized patients, according to WHO/Europe data, which warns of the risk, especially among vulnerable groups, including the elderly and people with non-communicable diseases such as cancer or diabetes. Therefore, this organization urges countries to address this hidden condition.
Specifically, according to the WHO, in the European Region, approximately 40% of hospitalized patients lose weight involuntarily, and half do not eat well and are at risk of malnutrition. However, as he points out, “half of these patients do not receive nutritional care, and only a third of patients who cannot eat due to the disease receive oral nutritional supplements or artificial nutrition.”
Against this backdrop, WHO/Europe experts participated in the joint session on “Aging and disease-related malnutrition” at the Congress of the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN) held recently in Milan (Italy).
During the session, health workers, researchers and decision makers from across the Region were able to discuss how to assess disease-related malnutrition at the healthcare level and take effective measures to address the problem in the long term.
“As countries in the region strive to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals and other global commitments, we must not neglect the challenge of disease-related malnutrition,” stressed the WHO/Europe regional advisor on nutrition, physical activity and obesity. , Dr. Kremlin Wickramasinghe, “For people living with non-communicable diseases and the healthcare workers who treat them, this situation can pose a significant challenge. The neglect around this issue makes it even more urgent, especially for vulnerable groups of people,” he added.
Effects of malnutrition
Malnutrition exacerbates the burden of non-communicable diseases in multiple ways and in any context, including all levels of health care: it impairs children’s growth and development, increasing the risk of developing non-communicable diseases later in life; increases the risk of diseases and their acute complications in adults, as well as slower recovery, poorer quality of life and, ultimately, higher mortality rates in patients who suffer from them.
In this regard, Dr. Wickramasinghe also believes that “medical schools and healthcare providers need better training in nutritional care. At the same time, governments must recognize the importance of nutrition care and integrate it into primary care, outpatient and inpatient settings.”
Four fundamental steps
The new WHO/Europe fact sheet on this topic sets out four key steps:
1-Identification: Early identification of the risk of malnutrition is essential. Any healthcare professional can use standardized tools.
2-Diagnosis and evaluation: a detailed evaluation determines the cause and severity of malnutrition.
3-Personalized treatment: may include dietary adjustments, oral supplements, or even tube feeding, depending on the patient’s needs.
4-Monitoring and evaluation: Regular monitoring ensures progress and allows adjustments to the treatment plan.
Likewise, the cost-effectiveness of nutritional care is highlighted, understanding that improved patient outcomes lead to reduced long-term healthcare costs. The publication also offers resources, including criteria for diagnosing malnutrition. camper. Ana Mera, pharmacist. Barcelona
#Malnutrition #affects #approximately #hospitalized #patients #Health #Medicine