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Frightening data - sick people are hungry in hospitals. As a result of malnutrition, recovery is more difficult and takes much longer. Permanent malnutrition is a short path to the next illness, e.g. pneumonia. Most malnourished patients are found in internal medicine and surgery departments. 70 percent people leave something on the plate, and 50 percent. eats half a meal.
Data on malnutrition in patients was collected from a study that is carried out on the same day in several hundredhospitalsin Europe each year. In the picture, the patient indicates how much he ate for each of the basic meals. The body weightof the patientand other parameters proving the nutritional status before admission to the hospital are also analyzed. After analyzing the data from Poland, it turned out that body weight and food consumption decreased significantly in half of the patients staying in hospitals. But it is also true that 1/3 of patients are admitted to the hospital when they are malnourished. This is not the fault of the hospital, but you have to be aware that severe malnutrition combined with even a simple operation always means serious complications, e.g. difficult fusion of body integuments.
Malnutrition is a problem not only of lean people
Malnutrition isn't just about lean people. Obese people can also have nutritional deficiencies that determine their condition. There are three states of eating disorders:
- MARASMUS TYPE - when the body does not receive the right nutrients for a long time, which means that it loses weight, muscles atrophy, the level of white and red blood cells drops significantly. The patient first loses weight and then his body becomes exhausted. A classic example of such malnutrition is anorexia.
- TYPE OF KWASHIORKOR, also called stress malnutrition. It applies to people who eat properly on a daily basis, but severe trauma or stress, such as an accident, severe infection, causes the body to stop functioning properly. This is a dangerous situation, especially for overweight people, because you don't think about feeding them.
- MIXED TYPE, i.e. combining the two previous types of malnutrition. It applies to people who have a debilitated body and who are additionally affected by severe stress.
Malnutrition - pyramidcomplications
In everyday medical practice, malnutrition translates into numerous complications. Example? A properly nourished patient admitted to hospital with pneumonia recovers within a few days. If the body is devastated due to malnutrition, treatment will last up to 3-4 weeks even when the patient is given modern antibiotics. This increases the costs of treatment, but also threatens with further complications, e.g. inflammation of the urinary tract, respiratory failure. In all of them, regardless of the reason for admission to the hospital, improper nutrition provokes complications in the form of respiratory problems, infections, pneumonia, muscle atrophy, poorly healing postoperative wounds, atrophy of intestinal villi and cardiological disorders resulting from mineral deficiencies.
Take the broth to the hospital
When a loved one is in hospital, you should be interested not only in the tests or procedures that are performed, but also in whether the patient eats meals. The family has the right to demand that their relative be treated properly, and one of its elements is proper nutrition. You have to ask if the sick person eats the meals, if someone supervises their quality, if there is a person who will feed the sick person if necessary. If the reluctance to eat is caused by the bad taste of the food, it is worth asking a dietitian or doctor what we can bring from home. When the staff agrees to provide their own food, it is worth remembering that food that is easily digestible is best for the patient. A good example is lean broth. Food should be without flavorings, spicy spices. We serve homemade, slightly sweetened compotes (apple or pear compote is recommended), and thick fruit and vegetable juices - only with the consent of the doctor. You can diversify your diet with boiled vegetables (but without cruciferous vegetables, because they are flattering) and fruit, lean meats (e.g. poultry) of good quality. All dishes must be fresh.
ImportantModest boiler charge
The nutritional rate per patient in Polish hospitals ranges from PLN 4.50 to PLN 30. The decision on the amount allocated to the nutrition of patients is made by the management. The NIK analysis shows that the average cost of a person-day of nutrition in a public hospital in 2007 ranged from PLN 7.70 to PLN 13.68, cleaning 1 sq m per month from PLN 5.04 to PLN 11.48, and washing 1 kg. underwear from 2.26 PLN to 5.50 PLN. The total cost of these services is on average 6 percent. hospital operating costs.
ProblemNIK gives an alarm: hungry sick
At the end of 2009, the Supreme Audit Office (NIK) inspected the diet of patients in 12 public hospitals in 6 provinces. Audit conclusionsthey are terrifying. Nutrition was not appropriate in any of the hospitals. In every second one, the caloric value of meals, although correct, was based on improperly balanced ingredients. The menus were prepared in a dishonest way, because they did not provide the proper nutritional value or the appropriate portions of vegetables and fruit. Deficiencies in cereal and dairy products, serving of very low-quality cold cuts containing excessive amounts of fat, and s alt abuse have been reported. In all hospitals the recommended s alt standard was exceeded twice. The meals lacked calcium, iron, vitamins C, B1 and B2, A and E, as well as magnesium, potassium and protein. None of the menus complied with the standards developed by the Institute of Food and Culture. The meals were improperly balanced in terms of caloric value, nutritional value and product groups. The average calorific value of meals was close to the lower limit of the norm and amounted to about 1900 kcal, but it also happened that it did not reach 1500 kcal. The situation is no better at present. Hospitals cut costs, lay off nutritionists, and few people are interested in the diet of patients.
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