Learning Collaborative Member Resources and Recognition
Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) GMCS Training
Free Virtual Program: Selecting and Implementing the Global Malnutrition Composite Score
CDR is providing a free 4.5-hour virtual program focused on the GMCS to acute care RDNs, NDTRs, and others interested in addressing malnutrition in acute care. Participants will have the opportunity to learn more about the GMCS and its implications in quality care, empower themselves and others to support implementation of the GMCS, and lead malnutrition initiatives and programs to improve heath equity and quality of care. For more information, see the
program flyer or reach out to
[email protected].
Quarterly Spotlight on Malnutrition: Advancing Quality and Strengthening Interdisciplinary Collaboration (Part I)
This 1-hour complimentary session is now available
on the CDR website. The presentation includes a deep dive into the fundamentals of quality improvement, including how credentialed practitioners can use quality improvement principles to elevate care standards. It also features a case study of a specific example of these principles in action in a dialysis treatment facility. A CPEU certificate is also available for those interested.
GMCS Training Recording Available
Thank you to everyone who joined us on November 7 for a training for Learning Collaborative members about data collection and tracking related to the GMCS. After a brief history and background about the GMCS, two Learning Collaborative member hospital systems that are tracking data related to the GMCS and working toward internal measure performance calculations or reporting to CMS through the Hospital IQR Program beginning in 2024 (or a future year) shared their experiences and recommendations. The Learning Collaborative Training recording can be found
here, along with the presentation
slides.
Congratulations to Members
Congratulations to Learning Collaborative member Kelly Danis from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) for being
honored with an Excellence in Practice Award from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics at this year’s Food & Nutrition Conference Expo. These awards “recognize outstanding nutrition and dietetics practitioners who have demonstrated innovation, creativity, and leadership in a specific area of practice.”
NPFE: Putting it All Together
It is always good to review…Where to start to check if a patient is at risk for malnutrition and then what next?
- Begin with a validated nutrition screen, such as the MST (Malnutrition Screening Tool), that can be completed by a trained healthcare professional. Ensure your facility has a nutrition screen in place and offer brief education sessions with nursing, if needed, to aid in completion rates.
- If the nutrition screen is positive for being at risk for malnutrition, then the registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) should complete a nutrition assessment providing a nutrition diagnosis, nutrition etiology, and evidence (i.e., signs and symptoms) that supports the nutrition diagnosis. The nutrition plan should also include the intervention, monitoring and evaluation plan as appropriate. As part of the nutrition assessment, the RDN can utilize the Academy/ASPEN indicators to diagnose malnutrition (AAIM) to identify if the patient meets criteria to diagnose malnutrition.
- The 6 malnutrition indicators to assess are: inadequate energy intake, weight loss, muscle wasting, subcutaneous fat loss, fluid accumulation (nutrition-related), reduced grip strength. In order for the RDN to assess the last four indicators, the RDN should have the knowledge, training, and comfort to perform a nutrition focused physical exam (NFPE).
To learn more about how to obtain NFPE skills and the Academy’s Live Virtual NFPE Hands-on Training Workshops, visit www.eatrightpro.org/nfpe or email [email protected].
