Integrated Role Of Nutrition Post-Hospital Discharge: Summary Of A Scientific Roundtable Discussion

A roundtable discussion was organized by Abbott Nutrition on November 4, 2014 to discuss how nutrition care can be integrated in post-discharge care. This report summarized opinions from leaders in nutrition and healthcare, who presented the current healthcare landscape, examined challenges in post-discharge care, and highlighted the importance of standardized policies for nutrition care in improving health outcomes and reducing healthcare costs. U.S. and global Initiatives and efforts from interdisciplinary healthcare teams, such as the Alliance to Advance Patient Nutrition and the feedM.E. (Malnutrition Awareness and Medical Education) Global Study Group, to address malnutrition and enhance nutrition care for patients in the hospital and community were discussed. In these initiatives, use of oral nutritional supplements (ONS) has been demonstrated as an evidence-based cost effective nutrition intervention for different patient populations. In patients with diabetes, glycemia-targeted specialized nutrition (GTSN) was a successful nutrition therapy in improving patient outcomes and reducing healthcare costs. In summary, nutrition policies by multi-disciplinary coalitions addressing malnutrition should be made to improve patient care in the current healthcare environment. Barriers including the lack of awareness, time, resource, and training should be appraised for successful implementation of standardized nutrition policies.