malnutrition Flashcards
1
Q
what is malnutrition?
A
a state in which a deficiency of nutrients such as protein, vitamins and minerals causes measurable adverse effects on body composition, function or clinical outcome
2
Q
what is the mechanism of malnutrition?
A
- inadequate intake
- impaired nutrition, digestion and processing
- excess losses
- altered requirements
3
Q
what is malabsorption of the dysfunction of?
A
- stomach
- intestine
- pancreas
- liver
4
Q
what causes excess loss of nutrients?
A
- vomiting
- NG tube drainage
- diarrhoea
- surgical drains
- fistulae
- stomas
5
Q
what increases metabolic demands?
A
- inflammation
- cancer
- wounds
- burns
- brain injury
6
Q
how does malnutrition affect healthy people?
A
- ventilation: loss of muscle & hypoxic responses
- impaired liver function & fatty change/necrosis
- impaired gut integrity and immunity
- decreased immunity and resistance to infection
- impaired wound healing
- psychology: depression/apathy
- reduces cardiac output
- impaired renal function
- reduced strength
- hypothermia
7
Q
how do hospitals cause malnutrition?
A
- inadequate/unpalatable/unsuitable foods
- can’t reach food/can’t feed themselves
- altered taste/poor appetite
- NBM (nill by mouth)
- starved for Ix
- starved again if Ix is cancelled
- starved before and after surgery
8
Q
what are the medical causes of inadequate intake?
A
- poor diet
- poor apatite/anorexia/taste disturbances
- nil by mouth
- pain/nausea
- dysphagia
- depression
- physical disability and inability to feed self
- unconsciousness
9
Q
what are the environmental causes of inadequate intake?
A
- inadequate food quality
- inadequate food availability outside the reach of the elderly of physically incapacitated patients
- no protected meal times
- inadequate training and knowledge of medical and nursing staff
10
Q
what do you need to look out for with malnutrition?
A
- low weight
- weight loss
- poor intake or predicted to become poor
- poor absorptive capacity
- high nutrient losses
- increased nutritional needs
11
Q
what has been done to help malnutrition?
A
- must screening rolled out
- yearly must screening
- educating staff
- protected meal times
- volunteers helping at mealtimes
- improving and recording food and fluid intake
- dedicated nutrition support teams and dieticians
