The Impact of Clinical Nutrition for Hospitals
Healthcare professionals offer guidance to their patients about dietary and nutritional requirements. Existing medical conditions might require specific diet plans to prevent new symptoms or control existing ones. During hospital stays, dietitians must review patients’ medical records and set up meal plans that provide the most benefits. Dietary restrictions and doctor-ordered meal plans must be followed during the hospital stay and after the person leaves the hospital. By reviewing how patient nutrition affects hospital practices, healthcare workers create better strategies for treating patients.
Prevents Malnutrition and Health Setbacks
Proper nutrition prevents malnutrition that could cause a decline in the person’s health, and dietitians address the patient’s health by creating a meal plan during their stay in the hospital. The dietitians review why the person is in the hospital to avoid additional issues and to improve their condition. If they have existing medical conditions, such as diabetes or heart disease, the diet must accommodate their dietary needs without causing complications. Want to find out more about clinical nutrition? Discuss your current diet with a clinical dietitian.
Reducing the Hospital Stay
Addressing the patient’s dietary needs helps them heal productively and rebuild their strength. The recovery period requires proper nutrition along with the doctor’s recommended treatment, and the dietitians add foods to the client’s daily meals that address these concerns. Regaining their strength helps the person heal faster, and they can leave the hospital sooner.
Maintaining A Healthy Body Weight
The patient’s meal plan offers help with weight management, and some medical conditions require a new diet plan for weight loss. Doctors may introduce the clients to a new diet plan that addresses their nutritional needs, but the foods shouldn’t cause significant weight gain.
Restrictive diets eliminate high-sugar foods, carbohydrates, and fatty food selections. During a hospital stay, the kitchen staff applies these dietary requirements to the daily meal plan. After-care instructions provide the person with guidelines for following this new diet and other things they can do to maintain their results.
Decreasing Infection Rates
Without proper nutrition, the patient’s immune system weakens, and they may face higher infection risks. New meal plans for these clients address symptoms based on their condition. Some individuals will require specific foods to help them thrive and avoid infections at home. For example, diabetics take medication to control their blood glucose levels, but what they eat plays a role in increasing or decreasing their blood sugar levels. Erratic blood glucose levels increase the risk of complications for diabetics, and their risk of infection is higher.
Lowering the Risk of Gastrointestinal Diseases
Patients with a family medical history of gastrointestinal diseases are predisposed to developing these conditions. Spicy, high-fat, and acidic foods cause gastrointestinal disorders. Clients who consume dairy or fried, fatty foods regularly are at the highest risk of these diseases. Regular consumption of alcohol contributes to gastrointestinal diseases and increases the risk of colon cancer.
Clients diagnosed with gastrointestinal diseases need a high fiber diet, and they should follow all dietary restrictions required by their clinician. Deviations from the dietary restrictions may worsen their condition and lead to complications.
Clinical nutrition matters to all patients and provides the building blocks of a healthier body and heightened longevity. Hospital and healthcare professionals work with dietitians to create meal plans for patients admitted to the hospital and after they leave. Hospitals experience a profound, negative impact when patients aren’t managing their diets, and without proper nutrition, patients don’t thrive when leaving the hospital. Ready to learn how to improve patient health through nutritional diets? Read more about clinical nutrition efforts now.
