Question

1. Is nutrition something the nurse is responsible entirely on their own?

2, What is the role of the nurse in nutrition screenings?

3. What kinds of things stop patients from getting enough nutrition?

4. What are you assessing for in each of the following parts of the nutrition assessment?

Patient history
Dietary history
Physical exam
Labs

1. What are progressive diets and what are some examples?

2. What is the purpose of modified diets and what are some examples?

3. What are examples of therapeutics diets?

Answer 1

1.Nutrition plays a crucial role in the recovery of the patient ,and it also helps in preventing disease.Nurses can teach the patient the importance of taking a nutrient diet.The responsibilty of the nurses working in the hospitals and clinics are even higher and they are more concerned with nutrition as it relates to recovery from illness,surgery or treatments.Nurses can educate the patient about the special meals they have at the hospital which helps them in recovery from illness,surgery or other treatments.But all these measures become useless ifthe patient does not cooperate with it.

2 Nutrition screening is performed by nurse,nursing assistant ,RD and DT.The roleof the nurse in nutrition care is to

• Screen patients for nutrition problems and may precipitatein nutrition and dietary assessments
• Provide direct nutrition care.

3 Some of the possible reasons are

• if the food is unfamiliar
• Tasteless
• inappropriate in texture
• religiously or culturally unacceptable
• served at times when patient is unaccustomed to eating.

4 The goals of nutritional assessment is to meet patients nutrient needs and meet patients nutrition education needs.Comprehensive nutritional assessment includes dietary history and clinical information,physical exam,anthropometric measures and lab tests.

Patient history includes medical surgical history,medication history includes herbs and supplements,can be drug interactions,medications give indication of whats wrong with them.

Diet history includes

• economics
• physical activity
• ethnic,religious,cultural background
• appetite,meal patterns,food preferences
• allergies,food intolerance ,food aversions
• any nutritional problems percieved by patient.

Physical exam

• Height
• weight
• head circumference

Lab data

• Albumin/prealbumin-used to check for protein malnutrition
• Haematological
• hydration status-changes lab data and results if patient has had IV fluids.
• BUN and creatinine look for renal factors.

1.Progressive diets include clear liquids,bratt,soft diet and regular diet

2 The three ways oral diets are classified are regular,modified consistency and therapeutic.Modified diets are tailored to the patients individual nutrient needs and food preferences,tolerances.

3 Therapeutic diets is an oral diet which differs from a regular diet and is used for the purpose of preventing or treating disease or illness..Examples are Diabetic therapeutic diet which regulates the amount of certain nutrients in disorders of metabolism.Under/overweight therapeutic diet increase or decrease body weight by adding or limiting calories and fat.