Spotlighting SMGH’s Nutrition Services team during Nutrition Month in March
We all know that nutrition matters, but did you know that it affects length of stay? A patient’s length of stay (LOS) in hospital can be 5 to 15 days longer if their malnutrition is not identified and addressed.
This is one of the many factors that Registered Dietitians (RD) at St. Mary’s General Hospital (SMGH) keep in mind as they work to ensure patients are well-nourished in the hospital and educated to take care of their nutritional health in recovery and beyond.
In addition to in-hospital nutritional care, dietitians who work in areas such as the cardiopulmonary rehabilitation program, inpatient cardiology, pre-surgical care and for patients discharged on specific diets, the goal of a dietitian is to help translate scientific evidence in a way that will allow the patient to improve their nutritional health and avoid readmission to hospital. As evidence-based clinicians, they regularly review the literature and collaborate with their networking partners to ensure that nutritional care at SMGH is one of the best.
The dietitian team at SMGH is also proactive and has been involved in initiatives such as:
- Solutions Weight Management Program for Everyday Living (ran from 2008-2012 with all profits going to SMGH)
- Small Bowel Feeding Tube Program (SBFT) (concept introduced by dietitians to SMGH)
- SGA screening (a malnutrition screen added to the nursing admission history to ensure high risk patients are identified early in their hospital stay to avoid increased LOS)
- ENFIT (a new initiative for patient and nurse safety regarding tube feeding delivery).
- IDDSI (International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative for individuals with dysphagia, implemented at SMGH by Speech Pathology and Dietitians).
In addition to patient education and nutrition therapy, dietitians are also responsible for the review of every new food that enters the hospital with respect to its ingredients/allergens and its micro and macro nutrients so that they can safely be implemented into 45 hospital diets, 32 diet restrictions and 17 diet textures.
At St. Mary's, there are 4.1 FTE dietitians and 0.5 FTE diet technician, with dietitian representation at the cardiac rehabilitation program. Registered dietitians work hard at ensuring the best possible nutritional care is available for patients in all areas of the hospital.
Nutrition Resources to Help You Live Healthy: