Dietician students investigated malnutrition in hospitals

Wilma Ebenholm Pettersson, who is in the penultimate semester of the dietician program in Gothenburg, was one of 38 students who completed the mapping. She visited patients in the surgery department of Kungälv Hospital. For her it was a very positive and educational experience:

“There can be many different reasons to malnutrition. It became clear to me during the day at the hospital that you really have to work in a person-centered way, because not everyone has the same requirements. Some need specific advice, others need more general tips and tricks,” says Wilma.

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One in two patients affected

A person who suffers from malnutrition loses weight, is deficient in nutrients and has problems with muscle breakdown. They may also become more susceptible to infection and will require more care, which can lead to longer hospital stays and higher mortality rates.

Malnutrition in healthcare is very common. According to a recent review article in the New England Journal of Medicine, up to half of all patients admitted to hospitals and other healthcare facilities are malnourished.

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“Malnutrition is a complex issue, which can have many causes and different solutions. In healthcare it can also be difficult to make the right risk assessment. It felt good to contribute with a baseline that gives the department the opportunity to evaluate its work with malnutrition,” says Wilma Ebenholm Pettersson.

Contributing to better care

After a preparatory workshop, the students were asked to interview patients in a healthcare department, asking questions about e.g., weight loss, appetite, how much food the patient had eaten for lunch that day, and whether they had been served a snack. The departments had prepared and selected patients who were able to be visited by the students.

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“In addition to giving students practice in their encounters with patients, the course provides lessons for healthcare,” says Senior Lecturer Jenny van Odijk:

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“The responses collected by the students will now be compiled anonymously and the departments can then use the results to suggest improvements to reduce the problem in the departments concerned. So the collaboration gives students an insight into clinical practice and dietitians and health departments a tool to evaluate and potentially improve malnutrition in healthcare.”

This interactive element is planned to be a recurring collaboration between the dietitian program and the healthcare services.  This year, dietitians from Kungälv Hospital, Alingsås Hospital and Sahlgrenska University Hospital (Östra Hospital and Sahlgrenska) participated.