All about Food/Healing and health

Food, healing and sustaining health

A good diet is essential to proper mending. By Merrilyn Banks

As we all know, Nutrition plays an essential role in wound healing. Individuals with poor nutritional status or malnutrition are more likely to develop pressure injuries and have more severe pressure injuries. They are also more prone to infections and heal more slowly. Nutrition needs to be a core part of wound management and it will, most likely, be cost-effective. Malnutrition Many studies in Australia and worldwide show that malnutrition occurs in about 30 per cent of acute-care patients and up to 50 per cent of residents in aged-care facilities. Chronic wounds, which increase nutritional requirements…

Through her research, Dr Banks has highlighted the importance of nutrition in the management of hospital and aged care patients. She was instrumental in the establishment of Queensland Health’s Malnutrition Prevention Program from 2010-2012. She has been a trailblazer in improving the quality of food services for hospital and aged care patients, being instrumental in the establishment of a Statewide Food Services Policy and Planning Unit and leading the development of food service policy and standards for Queensland healthcare facilities.

Read more about this interesting topic: http://www.aushsi.org.au/projects/evaluation-of-an-innovative-interdisciplinary-post-hospital-nutrition-outreach-service-for-older-medical-patients