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The Dish provides a monthly update to participating sites enrolled in the MQii Learning Collaborative.
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Spotlight: FNCE Presentation and Videos Featuring MQii
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics hosted its annual Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo (FNCE) in Philadelphia, PA, from October 26–29 and prominently featured MQii (as well as other key nutrition topics) throughout the event. We had a large turnout and engaging discussion about effective malnutrition documentation and discharge planning strategies following the presentation by Rajesh Kumari, DSC, RDN, Clinical Nutrition Manager from Overlook Medical Center; Philip Brown Jr., MD, Executive Vice President and Chief Physician Executive from New Hanover Regional Medical Center; and Angela Lago, MS, RDN, LDN, CNSC, Clinical Nutrition Manager from New Hanover Regional Medical Center. We were also pleased to share the videos featuring 3 different members of MQii during the Opening Session and Closing Session and hear such positive feedback from the audience. Thank you again to those of you who presented and participated in these sessions.
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What's Around the Corner?
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Coffee Break #1: Implementing Malnutrition Screening in SNFs, LTC, and Patient Rehab Settings | Thursday, December 5 at 2:00 PM ET
Many of you asked questions about this topic during our FNCE presentation, so we would like to offer this facilitated discussion so that our members can share best practices and recommended resources in these distinct settings of care.
Please register for the Coffee Break in advance here.
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Expert Webinar: Importance of Evaluating and Implementing Malnutrition Screening Tools | Tuesday, December 10 at 12:00 PM ET
Join us on Tuesday, December 10 at 12:00 PM ET for the MQii Expert Webinar, “Importance of Evaluating and Implementing Malnutrition Screening Tools.” During this live webinar, participants will learn how to:
- Best implement and evaluate validated malnutrition screening tools,
- Increase efficiency of an RDN’s assessment, and
- Communicate about malnutrition with other clinicians following screening.
The webinar will feature Rebecca Edwards, MS, RD, LD, CNSC, and Paul Blakeslee, RD-AP, LD, CNSC, Senior Clinical Dietitians at Maine Medical Center and Jennifer Doley, MBA, RD, CNSC, FAND, Regional Clinical Nutrition Manager and Dietetic Internship Director at Carondelet St. Mary's Hospital.
Attendees will be eligible to receive one-hour CPEU credit for their participation.
Please register for the webinar in advance here.
For all of our expert webinars, we encourage you to send any questions you have for the speakers in advance of the webinar to [email protected].
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In case you missed it:
If you missed previous MQii Learning Collaborative expert webinars, you can access webinar recordings and slides on the MQii Member Portal. You will also find other member-only content, including the calendar of upcoming events, pre-recorded educational webinars, and archived Dish newsletters, on this site. As a reminder, the login information is: Username: MQii Password: MQiiLC2018!
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Coffee Break #2: Importance of Evaluating and Implementing Malnutrition Screening Tools | Tuesday, December 10 at 12:00 PM ET
We also received many questions from attendees at FNCE about how to connect malnourished patients with effective nutrition interventions upon discharge and maintain communication with providers continuing their care. We will focus this discussion on best practices for tracking patient outcomes through electronic health records as patients are discharged and continue care with outpatient providers.
Please register for the Coffee Break in advance here.
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Consider opportunities to share your MQii project and findings!
The following table outlines several meetings and conferences that may be of interest to Learning Collaborative members in the coming months. We encourage you to look at the event websites, review submission criteria, and consider sharing your research with these various audiences. Please reach out with any questions or for assistance in pulling these together.
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Feedback Requested
As we prepare to kick off a new year of the MQii, we appreciate any feedback you may have for our team about our resources and any suggestions for further content we can provide. We reached out to all members earlier this year for one-on-one conversations to collect such feedback, and we have been trying to integrate that feedback into the content of our newsletters, webinars, and Coffee Break calls. Please provide any further positive or constructive feedback to [email protected] so we can ensure we are effectively supporting you.
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Nutrition Policy Updates
Call for a National Institute of Nutrition
Earlier this year, Representative Tim Ryan (D-OH 13th District) introduced a bill that would create a National Institute of Nutrition within National Institutes of Health (NIH) to facilitate and help coordinate research the connections between nutrients, food, and human health. While research in other institutes addresses nutrition in some capacities, this would be the first to focus exclusively on topics such as “effects of foods on brain and mental health, from the developing brain in infants and children to protecting against memory loss, dementia, and depression later in life” and “leveraging nutrition as an effort to reduce health care costs,” which are of major interest to all of us who work in nutrition. The Academy is working with the Nutrition Action Alliance to urge members of Congress to support this issue and wrote an opinion piece in the New York Times earlier this year in support of the proposal. This idea received further national attention following the recent publication of an article in Politico about the low prioritization of nutrition research among NIH-funded projects. This proposed change at NIH could make huge progress in developing and implementing evidence-based nutrition interventions for patients around the country, ultimately improving their health.
Older Americans Act
As was announced during the Closing Session of FNCE, the House of Representatives passed the Dignity in Aging Act of 2019 (H.R. 4334), which reauthorizes Older Americans Act programs, on October 28th. This would increase funding for congregate and home-delivered nutrition services that reduce senior hunger and help combat malnutrition, which is a priority for patients and would significantly help to address the growing burdens of nutrition and food insecurity among elderly Americans. The Academy also followed up with a message urging Representatives to vote in favor of this act so that it can advance and provide the nutrition care that patients need.
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Learning Collaborative Participant Resources
NFPE “Tip of the Month”
Do you every wonder, “if my patient has two malnutrition characteristics present, such as meeting criteria for inadequate energy intake and significant weight loss, do I need to perform a nutrition focused physical exam (NFPE)?”
The answer is yes! Not only is a NFPE part of a complete nutrition assessment (see Nutrition Care Process), but it can be an important part to identify if a patient has malnutrition. It is necessary to document your NFPE findings so that on follow-up, you can compare NFPE findings to assess the change—whether decline, stabilization, improvement, or no change in the patient’s nutrition status—and then provide an appropriate nutrition intervention and plan of care.
While there may be limitations when performing a NFPE with some patients, the dietitian should assess all the available/appropriate areas—specifically subcutaneous fat, muscle, fluid accumulation, and handgrip strength as outlined in the Academy/ASPEN malnutrition consensus statement. Overall, if malnutrition is identified, it is recommended to document all data to support the degree of severity and diagnosis of malnutrition.
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Next Steps
- Attend the upcoming webinar and December Coffee Breaks if you have questions regarding your malnutrition quality improvement efforts
- Share your progress or reach out with any questions to your MQii Point of Contact. We want to hear about any developments you have experienced as well as any challenges you are encountering
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