The 5 challenges for health professionals
Nutritionists not only usually have complications in their consultation, they also have complications in the entire health sector.
National and international figures for chronic non-communicable diseases (obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, etc.) And its complications show us that nutritional intervention is a necessity and represents a large part of the solution to these problems. Even knowing this information, governments and health personnel are reluctant to make changes in current medical practice. Here are 5 challenges that as nutritionists we face during clinical practice:
1.-They put nutrition last
Hospital malnutrition is not new news; ironically, there is still great resistance to integrating nutritional therapy as part of standard medical treatment. As simple as remembering that food is a basic need to keep us alive. And in times of illness, adequate nutrition of the body is irreplaceable to regain health.
2.- Patients go to consultation until their weight is completely high
It is typical that patients begin to go to the nutritionist when they are already morbidly obese or their overweight is preventing them from living fully. Part of our role as nutritionists is to prevent the deterioration of the patient’s nutritional status. So attracting new patients or referrals is vital so that these people do not reach the limit of their weight before going to the consultation.
3.- They do not take into account the nutritionist to be part of the hospitals
It is common for the number of nutritionists hired to be insufficient or non-existent for patient demand. Nutritionists are an important part of the health system, their formal presence in the clinic has demonstrated the reduction of hospital costs. As well as the reduction of complications/mortality in the short and long term. *
4.-People without knowledge of nutrition make their own diets
We live in a world where the needs of the population cannot be met by a single discipline. The creation of multidisciplinary teams is necessary to achieve the implementation of comprehensive treatments. The planning and implementation of nutritional strategies must be guided by experts on the subject: ** Nutrition graduates or health professionals with a specialty in nutrition.** *The Graduate in Nutrition is a health professional whose basic training lasts 4 to 5 years.
5.–**The role of the nutritionist is not always clear **
The integration of the nutritionist into the health system is a constant struggle. It is our responsibility to teach and inform other health professionals about the importance of our work. As experts on the subject we have the skills and knowledge to: * -Evaluate and monitor the nutritional status of patients. -Detect patients at risk of malnutrition or complications derived from the disease. -Propose, plan and monitor nutritional interventions. -Provide nutrition and lifestyle education to the patient and their families. -Communicate and discuss prevention, treatment and follow-up strategies for patients with members of the multidisciplinary team. – Critically evaluate scientific evidence and base strategies on it. **I give you 4 Key Practices to grow your practice, but these classes will only be FREE today. CLICK here
