Dietetics and Nutrition

Medical Nutrition Therapy

Our dieticians perform complete nutrition assessment and evaluation of individuals to determine nutrition diagnosis.

They devise a plan and implement nutrition intervention through nutrition best practice guidelines.

Our dieticians monitor and evaluate the progress of an individual over follow-up visits and consultation with the dieticians.

Our dieticians consult the patients and provide nutrition guidance and medical nutrition therapy for a broad spectrum of health conditions including:

• Cardiovascular Diseases
• Dyslipidaemia, CABG/PTCA
• Gestational diabetes, type 1 and type 2 diabetes
• High blood pressure and high cholesterol
• Coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure
• General health and well-being – disease prevention
• Trauma: burns, minor and major accidents, surgical patients
• Gastrointestinal Diseases: fatty liver, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Irritable bowel disease (IBD), celiac disease, cirrhosis and other liver related disorders, Crohn’s disease, pancreatitis
• Immuno-compromise: food allergy, HIV/AIDS
• Nutritional Support: oral, enteral, parenteral
• Oncology
• Kidney disease: acute kidney disease, renal insufficiency, chronic kidney disease, kidney failure, acute kidney injury, transplantation
• Women’s health – anaemia, pregnancy, osteoporosis
• Weight management – eating disorders, obesity, overweight, bariatric surgery
• Pulmonary Disease: COPD
• Paediatrics: inborn errors of metabolism, failure-to-thrive, infant/child feeding

Procedure

Nutritionists identify the problems and needs related to nutrition during the interaction with the patients, nutrition assessment and evaluation.

Dieticians, after identifying the nutritional gaps, set some nutritional goals based on some set parameters, to approach the problems and needs related to nutrition.

Nutritional plan is formulated based on the goals and as per the individual needs – and it is approached with measurable, specific and time-bound parameters.

On a designated charting form, plans related to nutrition are recorded by the professional nutritionists. All initial nutrition care plans are reviewed and care plan team members complete the care plan. Nutrition professionals and care plan team members maintain the nutrition care plans.

Nutrition care planners, nutritionists and other care plan team members meet each patient and then communicate them about the problems related to nutrition and patient’s needs and also about their professional approach and goals. After communicating to the patients and their attendants, nutritionists integrate their goals and plans in the comprehensive nutrition care plan. These plans are prepared by interdisciplinary team members.

Nutrition care plans are reviewed and updated if a substantial change in the nutrition related condition happens. Alteration to the comprehensive care plan are made and signed by the dietician who is in charge – whenever necessary recommendation is done. Dieticians implement any changes made to the overall care plan (order lists, diet changes) in the Dietetics and Nutrition Department. Anything related to patient’s nutrition including the requirements, approaches and goals and also the monitoring methods – all are documented.

Sunshine Dietetics and Nutrition Department provides all diet and nutrition related services to patients according to a comprehensive diet care plan, which is in accordance with professional quality standards.

Dieticians at Sunshine Hospitals perform nutritional evaluations, recommend therapeutic diets and provide nutrition support with an aim to aid faster recovery of patients and improve their quality of life. Some of the services we offer include:

• Study of body fat percentage
• Nutritional assessment
• Management of therapeutic diets and nutritional support
• Coordination with medical staff on nutritional matters
• Role of dietetics & nutrition

The department offers full dietary assessment and guidance on how best to meet needs of individual patients. From providing nutritional supplementation to complete nutritional support to parenteral nutrition, the Dietetics & Nutrition Department provides the best support for patients suffering from conditions such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, renal failure, liver disease, cancer, etc.

Our Process Sheet

We bring innovation to work when it comes to identifying and helping patients during their stay at the hospital. Some of the steps we take to care for patients vulnerable to undernourishment are:

• Prescribing and providing nutritional supplements in tasty drinks.
• Dietitians check patients during the time of serving or eating a meal to ask if any help is required and to assist in feeding, if necessary.
• A personalised record chart is used to keep track of meals and supplements provided to the patient. The amount of meal taken is explicitly mentioned (all, half or nothing), and if it is lesser than directed by the dietician, then it is immediately brought to their notice.
• We encourage cooks visiting the wards on a random basis, talking to the patients and understanding their needs better, and of course, serving better.
• If the patient has not found anything to his liking in the current menu, he/she can opt for the lighter menu choices or request for food that they like, which has to be approved by the dietician.