Learning Collaborative

April 30, 2019

The Dish

The Dish provides a monthly update to participating sites enrolled in the MQii Learning Collaborative.

Spotlight: Growing Evidence on the Impact of Malnutrition on Patients

New Evidence Highlights Opportunities for Malnutrition Quality Improvement

New articles and resources continue to be released reflecting research on the impact of malnutrition on patients, and the opportunity to improve care and outcomes through malnutrition quality improvement (QI). Some examples include:

• In early April, the Journal of Nursing Care Quality (JNCQ) released a video highlighting a malnutrition QI project featuring an MQii Learning Collaborative Health System, Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI). The project, titled, “The Impact of Nutrition-Focused Quality Improvement Interventions on Length of Stay and Readmission Rates Among Hospitalized Malnourished Patients,” increased use of a Malnutrition Screening Tool and oral nutrition supplements for patients at risk of malnutrition. Participating sites found that early initiation of nutrition therapy reduced hospital length of stay and 30-day readmission rates.
• Gerry Mullin from Johns Hopkins University and co-authors recently published an article in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (JAND) to assess the utilization of oral nutritional supplements (ONS) and its association with hospital length of stay and 30-day unplanned hospital readmissions using data obtained from electronic health records (EHRs). The findings from the analysis indicated that ONS administration to malnourished hospitalized patients was associated with lower 30-day readmissions.
• Telehealth is starting to gain traction as a means to provide support to malnourished older patients. This article highlights a systematic review and meta-analysis aimed at determining the efficacy of telehealth methods in the delivery of malnutrition-related interventions to community-dwelling older adults. The 2018 study indicated telehealth may be an effective method to deliver malnutrition-related interventions to older adults living at home, showing trends towards improved nutrition status, physician function, energy intake, and hospital readmission rates.

If you have any questions or would like to talk about these developments further, reach out to your MQii Point of Contact!

Thank you for your JAND Abstract Submissions!

Thank you to all of you who submitted abstracts for the MQii-focused JAND Supplement! For those who submitted abstracts, you will be receiving more information from JAND in the coming weeks. The Supplement intends to highlight MQii stories and Learning Collaborative member findings. The Supplement will be peer-reviewed and is being led by the Academy and Avalere, with support provided by Abbott. Be on the lookout for the Supplement to be released in September 2019!

Learning Collaborative Participant Activities

In Case You Missed It...

Did you miss last week’s expert webinar focused on “The RDN/Oncology Patient Relationship: How Nutrition Interventions Work”? Would you like to review the recording for CPEU credit? All archived MQii materials are available on the MQii Learning Collaborative Member Portal. To access, please use the following login information: Username: MQii Password: MQiiLC2018!

On April 24th, Natalie Stephens, MS, RDN, LD, Lead Dietitian at the Ohio State University Medical Center and Suzanne Dixon, MPH, MS, RDN, Epidemiologist and Senior Medical Writer at The Mesothelioma Center in Orlando, Florida presented on nutrition care best practices in the oncology care continuum. Participants learned more about the prevalence and impact of poor nutrition among oncology patients; best practices to help patients manage nutrition throughout treatment; and tools to engage the patient/caregiver regarding nutrition needs and care in oncology.

 What's Around the Corner?

Upcoming Conferences and Events

Society for Medical Decision Making Now Accepting Submissions

Consider submitting an abstract for a poster on your malnutrition quality improvement project to the Society for Medical Decision Making (SMDM) 41^st North American Annual Meeting! The event will be held in Portland, Oregon from October 20-23, 2019. The submission deadline is May 28^th, 2019 at 11:59 PM PT. For more information, visit the SMDM website.

Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo Accepting Late-Breaking Submissions

Consider submitting an abstract for a poster on your malnutrition quality improvement project to the Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo (FNCE)! FNCE is the premier event for food and nutrition professionals, showcasing the latest nutrition science information, food service trends, and access to the top experts are showcased here. The call for late breaking abstracts opens May 1, 2019 and closes May 30, 2019. For more information, visit the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page.  

Next Steps 

• Attend upcoming webinars and Coffee Breaks if you have questions regarding your malnutrition quality improvement efforts
• Coffee Breaks are open-format, interactive sessions that allow participants to discuss particularly challenging questions around engaging their IT teams and preparing for eCQM and outcomes data extraction in addition to QI project support. Participants are encouraged to attend and bring their questions, suggest ideas to other participants who are encountering obstacles, or just listen in and be inspired by the discussion. Use the link below to register for the next Coffee Break:
• Thursday, May 2 at 11:00 AM ET
• Thursday, May 16 at 11:00 AM ET
• Share your progress with your MQii Point of Contact – we want to hear about any developments you’ve experienced, as well as any challenges you might be encountering
• Fill out your Project Charter once you identify plans for your malnutrition quality improvement project(s)
• Watch the educational videos and expert webinar recordings available on the MQii Member Portal (log in information— Username: MQii Password: MQiiLC2018!) and explore the resources in the MQii Toolkit