A hidden challenge: exploring food refusal in prisons

The most important starting point for my project was to tackle misconceptions around food refusal. Although it can often be a form of protest, the staff I interviewed thought that it was sometimes...

Promoting nutritional education in primary school children

Studies carried out by various researchers including Rathi et al (2017), Baute et al (2017), de Vlieger et al (2019) and Cooper and Contento (2019) all concluded that today there is an immense need...

Nutrition in palliative care: issues, perceptions and opportunities to improve care for patients

Many patients experience profound symptoms during and after cancer treatment, which may result from the local effects of the cancer itself, the metabolic response to the cancer, including cachexia,...

Coming together to make a difference to nutritional care

'As we approach the end of the year it is always a good time to reflect on the months gone by and the progress made. In May 2022, I was successful in my application to join the National Nurses...

The nutritional needs of people living with a stoma

A urostomy is formed with a piece of small bowel so, in the initial postoperative period, there can be disruption to bowel function. This is not usually a long-term issue but fluid intake can be. It...

A multidisciplinary approach to providing blended diet within the acute setting

Since early 2017, the Complex Enteral Nutrition service and Paediatric Dietetic service has been supporting children to commence a blended diet in the community setting. However, it was noted that...

Shared decision making in dysphagia

Oropharyngeal dysphagia is the term used for difficulties with eating and drinking due to impairments of the oral or pharyngeal phases of swallowing. Dysphagia may result in aspiration, where food or...

The impact of nutrition on pressure ulcer healing

Complication rates associated with traction removal of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tubes

There are three enteral feeding specialist nurses at LTHT, two at Band 6 and one at Band 7. There were changes in the team over the period the data were collected; however, there was no correlation...

Exploring the role of the nutrition nurse specialist in an intestinal failure tertiary referral centre

Intestinal failure is described as a reduction in gut function, to the extent that adequate absorption of nutrients and/or water and electrolytes is impeded, leading to the need for intravenous (IV)...

Running a weight-management programme with a psychological focus within a lymphoedema service

Initially, the author's lymphoedema service ran two pilot groups, with no specific inclusion criteria—eight patients joined the first group and nine joined the second. The groups ran consecutively....

Nutrition during the menopause: clinical considerations

Having established the importance of each macronutrient, we need to consider how to get the proportions right, in order to maintain optimal blood sugar levels. Blood sugar balance is a key part of the...