Clínica Universidad de Navarra PHOTO: Manuel Castells

The Clínica Universidad de Navarra and the School of Pharmacy have launched a project nutritional support program for inpatients. Specifically, four graduates in Human Nutrition and Dietetics from the University will participate, for two years, in this program that will be a added value to the attendance that the Clinic offers to inpatients. For the time being, this service will be applied to adult patients.

This healthcare program will be based on the computerized 'nutritional screening' tool available which, according to various parameters of the patient's clinical history (weight, height and others), allows the detection of patients at risk of or already suffering from malnutrition. This tool classifies the patient into three categories: no nutritional risk, moderate risk or high nutritional risk. The goal is to detect patients at risk as early as possible in order to initiate treatment quickly.

These dietitian nutritionists will work directly in the Hospitalization Units using this tool to detect possible nutritional deficits and perform a broader nutritional evaluation . This report, which will be given to the patient's physician manager , will indicate possible actions to improve the nutritional status of patients, which can range from simple dietary recommendations to recommendations for artificial nutritional support or the assessment of another department, such as Endocrinology.

The tutors in the Clinic of these nutritionists will be Dr. Camilo Silva, from Endocrinology and Nutrition; and Dr. Lacasa, from Hospital Pharmacy.