Anandita Devi
Dietitian, Counties Manukau Health, Auckland, NZ

Anandita is a New Zealand Registered Dietitian at Counties Manukau DHB, currently employed as a Dietitian in the ATR wards. Born in Fiji but raised in NZ, she is very active in the Indian community. She is particularly interested to improve healthy eating among pacific people and Indians and has held numerous nutrition stalls and education sessions in Auckland. She leads the nutrition team with a team of health professionals to provide free medical care in rural parts of Fiji for the last 6 years providing opportunities to dietitians and dietetic students.

---

Identifying and Managing Malnutrition on the Older Peoples Rehabilitation Ward

​Malnutrition is common in older people and is associated with poorer outcomes e.g. failed rehabilitation, increased LOS and higher health care costs. Research at Middlemore Hospital in 2001, 2012 and 2020 found that over 50% of patients were malnourished or at-risk of malnutrition.  Given that malnutrition is multifactorial in origin a proactive, interdisciplinary approach is essential to identifying and managing malnutrition. 

This presentation describes:
•             How we successfully implemented e-Nutrition, a nutrition screening tool, to identify malnutrition on the geriatric wards at Middlemore Hospital.
•             An integrated, interdisciplinary strategy to manage malnutrition including:
o             Routine prescription of oral nutrition supplements for all hip fracture patients.
o             Dietitian nutrition intervention for all high risk patients.
o             Protected Meal Times and a Red Tray system.
o             Breakfast Group to assess patients’ functional status.
o             Adding malnutrition as a diagnosis on the discharge summary.
o             Inclusion of nutrition into patients’ rehab goals.

Take home messages
•             Nutrition is everyone’s concern, and an integrated interdisciplinary team approach is essential to identify and target malnutrition on the geriatric rehabilitation ward.
•             The Dietitian is a key member of the interdisciplinary team, and should provide tailored nutrition interventions to patients identified as at increased nutrition risk.