Nurses role in the prevention of malnutrition
Minja, Allen; Jose, Sheenamol (2021)
2021
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202102252702
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202102252702
Tiivistelmä
Malnutrition is one the growing global health issues among elderly and it is often unnoticed. Hence, the aim of our research is to recognize what are the nurse’s role in the prevention of malnutrition in elderly care settings. The purpose of this thesis mainly focuses to contribute accurate and adequate knowledge among nurses about the significance of implementing of proper nutritional care in the prevention of malnutrition. Likewise, how nurses can enhance welfare among elderly through effective nutritional care. The method of study applied in this thesis was descriptive literature review which inductive content analysis selected to analyze our articles. The materials for the review brought together by using various electronic databank like CINAHL, EBSCO, Google Scholar and PubMed to find peer reviewed articles.
After articles analyzation, it was found that nurses can play an important role in the prevention of malnutrition with proper nutritional assessment and implementing nutritional care based on nutritional score in elderly care. Nurse can recognize nutritional status or malnutritional problems of elderly by using different assessment measures like nutritional screening, anthropometric measures, physical examination, and history and diet assessments. Likewise, nurses can create individualized nutritional care plan based on nutritional need of elderly in the prevention of malnutrition which includes High energy and high protein food, oral nutritional supplements, enteral and parental nutrition.
Even though nurses can play many roles in the prevention of malnutrition, the reviewed articles say nurses still need more competency to effectively recognize nutritional problems among elderly. Also, Considering and teaching the elderly on their various dietary needs is also significant in the prevention of malnutrition. So, it is significant to get more nutritional education and training for nurses to strengthen their nutritional knowledge and competency to effectively assess nutritional problems and to prevent malnutrition in elderly care settings.
After articles analyzation, it was found that nurses can play an important role in the prevention of malnutrition with proper nutritional assessment and implementing nutritional care based on nutritional score in elderly care. Nurse can recognize nutritional status or malnutritional problems of elderly by using different assessment measures like nutritional screening, anthropometric measures, physical examination, and history and diet assessments. Likewise, nurses can create individualized nutritional care plan based on nutritional need of elderly in the prevention of malnutrition which includes High energy and high protein food, oral nutritional supplements, enteral and parental nutrition.
Even though nurses can play many roles in the prevention of malnutrition, the reviewed articles say nurses still need more competency to effectively recognize nutritional problems among elderly. Also, Considering and teaching the elderly on their various dietary needs is also significant in the prevention of malnutrition. So, it is significant to get more nutritional education and training for nurses to strengthen their nutritional knowledge and competency to effectively assess nutritional problems and to prevent malnutrition in elderly care settings.