Introduction

Nutrition is a fundamental component of health and wellbeing because it is important to grow, develop and prevent disease. Unquestionably, if nurses are committed to providing holistic, patient-centered care for their patients, they must be informed about nutrition. Nurses are front-line providers, responsible for diagnosing nutritional problems, teaching patients, and creating care plans that will attend to the medical and nutritional care of the patient.

Nursing Definition of Nutrition

In nursing, nutrition means the process by which food and nutrients enters the body and is used by the body for growth, maintenance, and repair of tissues. Nutrition includes the manner in which essential nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, and vitamins and minerals are delivered to the tissues of the body that support physiological and psychological function.

Nutritional care in nursing is not simply an understanding of food groups. It requires an application of nutritional science to assess patients’ nutritional requirements, analyze lab information, monitor for signs of malnutrition or nutrition imbalance, and engage and communicate with registered dietitians and other health professionals to enhance wellness and support recuperation.

Nutrition plays a role in patient care;

the consequences of nutrition on patient outcomes is evident in acute care, chronic care, rehabilitation, and long term care. Important areas in which nutrition affects patient outcomes include:

1,Wound Healing: Adequate protein and vitamin intake is essential for tissue healing.

2,Immune Function: Malnourished patients are vulnerable to infection.

3,Chronic Disease Management: Disease management for conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease all involve dietary interventions, either as a treatment, control or prevention strategy.

4,Drug Action and Interaction: Some medications alter nutrient absorption or appetite, which need monitoring.

5,Geriatric Care: Older adults often face decreased appetite, taste changes, difficulty with chewing or swallowing leading to an increased potential for malnutrition.

Nursing Roles in Nutritional Care
Nurses have diverse roles and responsibilities regarding nutritional care, which can include:
* Assessment. Identifying elements of nutritional risk and identifying possible solutions. This assessment could ranging from patient assessments using tools such as the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) or Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) to routine monitoring of a patient’s nutritional status.
* Education. Investing effort in educating patients about nutrition behaviour change, dietary changes, and reading food labels.
* Intervention. Providing assistance and or support with feed patients, recommending nutritional supplements, and providing dietary recommendations while the patient is in hospital care.
*Advocacy. Liaising with dietitians and advocating with the patient’s nutrition support; especially with those vulnerable population groups.

Conclusion
Nutrition is a key area in nursing care that impacts recovery, quality of life, and future health outcomes. Nursing nutritional science knowledge empowers nurses to contribute, recognise signs of early nutritional deficiency, and support clients in achieving health through wholesome nutrition. Regardless of the changing health care landscape, the role of the nurse in advocating for and achieving optimal nutrition remains important.
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