Developing a multidisciplinary Young Women's Blood Disorders Program: a single-centre approach with guidance for other centres.

Introduction: Bleeding from the reproductive tract in women is a natural event, generally occurring with menstruation and childbirth. Women with an underlying bleeding disorder may experience heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) and thereby, unacceptable blood loss. Up to 20% of US women with abnormal uterine bleeding and a normal gynaecological exam may have an underlying bleeding disorder corresponding to almost 2-3 million American women.

A protocol for nutritional assessment in a community hospital.

A nutritional assessment protocol established by the Metabolic Support Service of three Chicago community hospitals has aided the support teams in providing optimal nutritional care. The assessment procedure described includes evaluation of the somatic and visceral protein compartments, cell-mediated immunity, and nitrogen balance. Through weekly repetitions of these indexes, nutritional assessment has become the objective basis for the diagnosis of the type and degree of malnutrition as well as the basis for the selection of the appropriate nutritional support and the evaluation of its effectiveness.