Increasing the number of operational units dedicated to nutrition and clinical nutrition in Italian hospitals, also thanks to the infusion of resources from the National Resilience and Recovery Plan. That is the allure of ADI, which has chosen Covid-19 and obesity among the main topics in the early days of its 24th National Congress, scheduled until October 23 at Novola Lavazza in Turin. The Italian Association of Dietitians and Clinical Nutritionists, the first association born in Italy (1950), addressed nutritional problems through discussions and focus, also in light of the coronavirus epidemic; Two outwardly different phenomena, but related from a clinical and social point of view.
“The Sars-CoV-2 epidemic has shown with full evidence that malnutrition, whether due to excess or defect, pre-existing or concomitant with viral infection, is an unfavorable prognostic factor in all patients, regardless of gender and age – confirms Giuseppe Malfi, President of Adi – The scenario of complexity and unpredictability that we found ourselves operating through during the most severe phases of the epidemic further demonstrated how important the role of clinical nutrition is in the multidisciplinary and integrated management of Covid patients, but also in all hospitalization areas of health facilities.”
“The study conducted by ADI to monitor nutritional assistance for Covid patients, between April and July 2020, unfortunately gave amazing results – highlights Carmela Bagnato, Adi’s secretary – 80% of patients were not weighed, many of whom were not given a nutritional test to detect malnutrition status. , both in excess and in deficiency, although all guidelines note how important proper nutrition support is for disease outcomes. Malnutrition has been shown to exacerbate disease progression. For example, it was more patients who died from Covid-19.”
During the ADE National Conference, the fundamental role of malnutrition was also emphasized in the spread of chronic non-communicable diseases. “Obesity was recognized as a disease in 2019 in the Chamber of Deputies – recalls Malfi – this is a prelude to establishing appropriate diagnostic pathways across the country. 10% of the Italian population is obese, and the role of obesity is fundamental in determining it. The prevalence and mortality of chronic non-communicable disease.No. Defective malnutrition should be neglected, which we define as a “disease within a disease”: in the context of hospitalization, it can exacerbate the prognosis of patients in hospitals in many specialties, both medically and surgically.Therefore, treatment of malnutrition at the hospital level is very important to promote the recovery of patients. patients and reduce costs associated with prolonged hospital stays.”
Adi experts reiterate how the Clinical Nutrition and Nutrition Operations Unit should be the reference within a multidisciplinary approach in the management of all patients in hospitals and above all in prevention, to protect the health of the population and the health of the planet. Among the measures aimed in the first case is to identify patients at risk of malnutrition due to excess or deficiency or who are already malnourished, in the second case to reduce food waste.
“The constant presence of an operational unit of Clinical Dietitians and Nutritionists within the hospital, with an adequately trained nutrition and catering team – assures President Addy – allows us to provide patients with healthy, convenient and appropriate food with therapeutic value, thereby reducing hospitalization times and thus costs to the NHS.” Unfortunately, diseases such as obesity, diabetes or malnutrition, unlike Covid, will not decrease with the use of the vaccine, but, on the contrary, without proper prevention and treatment plans, they will increase more and more.For this reason, we hope that part of the funds will be allocated to the program NRP Health to increase and strengthen clinical nutrition services across the country and to develop educational interventions as well as on schools also for families, so that they make the store more Mediterranean and gain greater awareness of excessive consumption of products not known lutari.”
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