Article

OBJECTIVES: To test: (i) awareness of
nutrition screening tools and related care plans and; (ii) nutrition knowledge of
doctors, nurses and dietitians working in spinal cord injuries (SCI) centres.
METHODS: The 14-item questionnaire was sent to 102 nurses, 17 doctors and 15
dietitians working in UK SCI centres during January-March 2010. RESULTS:
Sixty-two (46.5%) questionnaires were completed and returned for analysis. The
present audit demonstrated that awareness of the need for nutritional screening
is good: 83% of staff reported that they are aware there is a nutrition screening
tool. This audit also demonstrated areas of poor knowledge, such as calorie
content of intravenous fluids, indicators of malnutrition, and choice of
nutritional support in malnourished patients. All doctors, but only 38% of
nurses, knew how to calculate body mass index. Surprisingly, nearly half (49%) of
the participants thought that at least 20% weight loss was required to indicate
malnutrition. This high-perceived cut-off point suggests that malnutrition is
likely to continue to be undetected and unmanaged.
The overall scores (median)
showed clear differences in nutritional knowledge between groups (median:
dietitians 92.8%; doctors 53.5%; nurses 35.7; P<0.01).
This suggests that
dietitians could have an important role in training healthcare professionals
about nutrition. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the need for further education
in SCI medicine in order to improve the efficacy of feeding and nutrition therapy for SCI patients.

Langue : ANGLAIS

Tiré à part : OUI