Dietitians will now be relying more on consults, nutrition-related diagnoses and the Nutrition Risk Screen score to determine which patients require a further assessment from nutrition team.
The Nutrition Risk Screen is completed by nursing within 24 hours of admission per the Assessment, Plan of Care, and Minimum Documentation Standards policy which aligns with standards from Joint Commission. The dietitians will continue to be available on the patient floor and via Epic to discuss patients and receive verbal consults for those noted at nutrition risk.
"This process change will be part of an update to our Nutrition Screening, Prioritization and Assessment by Registered Dietitian policy. These changes align with current best practices and regulatory standards, " said Clinical Nutrition Manager Breann Hogie.
Why is this important?
We want to keep our interdisciplinary team informed on how our Registered Dietitian team is prioritizing our patients. We want to use more appropriate channels and validated screening tools that are already built into our EMR to meet regulatory standards.
Why do providers need to know this?
The assumption is that the clinical nutrition team is following all patients. To improve efficiency of our team and outcomes of our interventions, we need to prioritize the patients with the highest needs. Providers should consult dietitians/nutrition services if you believe these services are needed.
What actions to providers need to take?
Familiarize yourself with the "Inpatient Consult to Nutrition Services." Dietitians will also be available via Epic chats and patient rounding to receive verbal orders for those noted at nutrition risk.
Please reach out to Breann Hogie, Clinical Nutrition Manager, if you have any questions about this process. Breann.Hogie@providence.org or via Teams
