Canadian Malnutrition Awareness Week, our annual campaign, aims to enhance learning of clinicians, healthcare providers and consumers around malnutrition. CMAW 2024 dates to follow.
In primary care, 1 dollar spent on nutrition interventions can save up to 99 dollars by reducing medication use, hospitalizations and freeing up physician time.
Dr. Johane Allard Presents on the Research of the CMTF
At Sault Area Hospital (SAH), we were fortunate to have Dr. Johane Allard from the Canadian Malnutrition Task Force, present to our hospital staff (all disciplines) on the research of the CMTF in Canadian Hospitals. Since the presentation (March 2014), we formed our SAH malnutrition taskforce with a multidisciplinary team. We met monthly to initiate some initiatives targeted at increasing awareness and reducing the risk of malnutrition in the hospital including:
• Mini inservices were held on all inpatient units following Dr. Allard’s presentation to share the information to those unable to attend the presentation.
• Presentations to Clinical Leadership group and the Medical staff to highlight hospital malnutrition and the current research.
• Canadian Nutrition Screening Tool implemented to screen all new admissions for nutrition risk and a weekly re-screen.
• Enhanced volunteers at meal service times to assist with opening containers and setting up trays.
• Our Speech Language Pathologists developed and provided a training program for feeding patients with dysphagia.
• Summer student projects targeted at gathering data on initiatives to use at fall meeting and set goals for following years.
Kim Fisher, RD Professional Practice Lead, Sault Area Hospital