Nutrition risk screening in acute care: a survey of practice.

The Joint Commission-accredited acute care hospitals are required to screen patients for nutrition risk, but criteria and procedures in use have not been described. The purpose of this study was to survey managers of clinical nutrition services in acute care hospitals regarding procedures for screening for nutrition risk. Members of the Clinical Nutrition Management Dietetic Practice Group were surveyed using an e-mailed link to an electronic survey.

Diet manuals to practice manuals: the evolution of nutrition care.

Although the role of nutrition as a therapy for the sick has been recognized for centuries, the science of nutrition is a relatively young discipline. The first modern attempt to document and standardize appropriate nutrition care was the diet manual. The evolution from "diet manual" to "practice manual" is less a change in purpose than an expansion of scope.

Use of technology to track program outcomes in a diabetes self-management program.

The Diabetes Self-Management Education Program at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland, OH, uses widely available technology to facilitate outcomes tracking and market the diabetes program. Baseline assessment data are entered directly into an Access database form (Microsoft, Inc, Seattle, WA). Quarterly, updated weight and lab data are downloaded into the database from the Epicare electronic medical record (Epic Systems Corp, Madison, WI).

Energy expenditure assessment and validation after acute spinal cord injury.

Background: This study was designed to determine the applicability of the Harris Benedict (HB) equation in predicting energy requirements after acute spinal cord injury (SCI) and to evaluate the accuracy of a 30-minute energy expenditure measurement to determine 24-hour requirements. Prealbumin (PAB) was monitored weekly to assess the patient's response to the nutrition support regimen.

Methods: Patients with acute isolated SCI requiring mechanical ventilation were studied for 4 weeks postinjury.

Position of the American Dietetic Association: nutrition services in managed care.

It is the position of the American Dietetic Association that medical nutrition therapy is an essential component of disease management and healthcare provided by managed care organizations, and that such care must be provided by qualified nutrition professionals. Compared with traditional fee-for-service reimbursement systems, managed care presents new opportunities for dietetics professionals. Until recently, the lack of billing infrastructure has handicapped nutrition providers who wish to bill for their services and has made it difficult to track the outcomes of nutrition care.