WHAT'S AROUND THE CORNER?

Coffee Break: “Integrating Malnutrition QI Initiatives into Institutional Strategies to Address Disparities” | Thursday, September 28, 2023, at 3 PM ET

This conversation will begin with an overview of how malnutrition can contribute to and exacerbate disparities as well as current health system-wide priorities to close disparities and advance health equity that may align with malnutrition QI. Participants will also be able to share their own experiences, successes, and/or goals with one another.

Please register for the Coffee Break in advance.

FNCE 2023 Presentation: “Transforming Healthcare Delivery: Leveraging the Global Malnutrition Composite Score (GMCS) for Quality Improvement, Health Equity, and Patient Outcomes” | Saturday, October 7, 2023, at 2 PM MT

Presenters will review the GMCS’s significance as the first nutrition-focused measure in any CMS payment program and its alignment with quality improvement, value-based care, and health equity initiatives. The panel of speakers will share strategies for promoting the GMCS to hospital administration, integrating it into EHR systems, and optimizing nutrition care plans. Attendees will learn how successful implementation and reporting of GMCS can benefit patients, providers, and hospitals.  

FNCE 2023 Presentation: “Leading Change in Malnutrition: Improving RDN Value by Leveraging Data Analytics in Long-Term Care” | Tuesday, October 10, 2023, at 10 AM MT

Presenters will share how dashboard technology can aggregate data and support clinicians to identify and intervene to address malnutrition, creating a more efficient workflow for better standards of practice. Attendees will hear about best practices and use cases that include dynamic tracking of intake, weights, and wounds and use real-time data visualization to support provision of timely, optimal interventions and modernize their impact in long-term care.

Both FNCE sessions are open to all conference attendees; register for the conference in advance to attend. And please let us know if you are presenting at or attending FNCE, since we would love to meet in person!

Learn and Network at Upcoming Conferences

• Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo (FNCE) 2023, from October 7–10 in Denver, CO 
• Gerontological Society of America Annual Scientific Meeting of 2023, from November 8–12 in Tampa, FL 
• Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Forum, from December 10–13 in Orlando, FL 
• ASPEN’s 2024 Nutrition Science & Practice Conference, from March 2–5, 2024 in Tampa, FL
• Society of Hospital Medicine Converge 2024, from April 12–15, 2024 in San Diego, CA

View additional upcoming external events (such as conferences and webinars) on our MQii Learning Collaborative calendar.

Consider Opportunities to Share Your MQii Project and Findings 

The following list of conferences may be of interest to you or your team. We encourage you to look at the event websites, review submission criteria, and consider sharing your research with various audiences. Please reach out with any questions or for assistance in pulling together submission materials.

• IHI Forum, poster submissions due November 1
• FNCE 2024, sessions and workshop submissions due November 15

NUTRITION RESEARCH

Recent Publications

We are sharing several recent publications and blogs relevant to malnutrition, nutrition care processes, and quality improvement:

• “Interprofessional Implementation of the Global Malnutrition Composite Score Quality Measure,” in Nutrition in Clinical Practice
• “US State Hospital Regulations Rarely Include Malnutrition but Could Provide a Future Policy Framework for Improving Malnutrition Quality of Care,” in OBM Geriatrics
• “Deconstructing Disease-Related Malnutrition: A New Assessment Framework for Clinical Practice,” in Journal of Renal Nutrition

NUTRITION IN THE NEWS

University of Nevada Leads Development of New Malnutrition Assessment Framework

Assistant Professor David St-Jules at the University of Nevada led a team of six international researchers in building a new malnutrition assessment plan framework for clinical practice, intended to complement existing resources. It subdivides malnutrition assessment into 3 interacting components: nutrient balance, nutrition status, and malnutrition risk. The framework is available in a recently published article in the Journal of Renal Nutrition. St-Jules has begun teaching the framework as a part of nutrition coursework for graduate students and interns. Learning Collaborative members can consider reviewing the framework and applying its principles into your clinical practice.

Learning Collaborative Member Resources and Recognition

New GMCS Resources

The MQii website is regularly updated with new resources, especially related to the Global Malnutrition Composite Score. Most recent additions include an updated GMCS FAQs document and the recording for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ most recent Quarterly Spotlight on Malnutrition. As always, detailed information about the GMCS is available on the GMCS for IQR page.

NFPE: Putting it All Together

According to the USDA, about 34 million people live in food insecure households. As healthcare professionals, we can aid in identifying those at risk for food insecurity and then evaluate if malnutrition is present. First, the healthcare team can utilize the 2-question Hunger Vital Sign screening tool. Then, the RDN can provide a complete nutrition assessment, including the nutrition focused physical exam (NFPE), to assess if indicators are present to identify malnutrition. It is important that all clinicians receive education and training to ensure they have the correct tools to provide quality care for their patient population/setting.

Some upcoming educational opportunities on NFPE and identification of malnutrition include:

• Malnutrition Awareness Week, for which the Academy has partnered with ASPEN and includes daily educational webinars. Academy members can check the Eat Right Weekly email for a code that can be used when registering for the scheduled webinars
• NFPE training workshops and recorded modules: learn more about the Academy’s NFPE recorded modules at EatRightStore and about the Academy’s live virtual NFPE hands-on training workshops that teach the techniques and much more at www.eatrightpro.org/nfpe or by emailing [email protected]