Resumen

SAVINO, Patricia. Primera parte Hospital malnutrition: metabolic and nutritional support groups. rev. colomb. cir. [online]. 2012, vol.27, n.1, pp. 46-54. ISSN 2011-7582.

Although the number of Nutrition and Metabolic Support Groups (NMSG) is limited in Colombia and other countries, the hospitals that possess them achieve benefits both for patients and hospitals. The patient’s outcome improves significantly when objectives are clearly outlined and a multidisciplinary approach is used to detect nutritional problems at an early stage. This process begins by first evaluating and improving the quality and the acceptance of a regular diet, that aims to reduce the multimillion-dollar losses generated by food waste; it continues with the implementation of an early nutritional screening that allows tracking of the patient’s nutritional status, and ending with a carefully selected nutritional therapy. For this reason, initiatives such as the Nutrition Day not only provide important information, but they also generate awareness of the proper nutritional treatment. A country like ours, must learn from the experience of others and maximize the benefits of the already existing NMSG in Colombia.

Palabras llave : nutritional support; nutrition assessment; malnutrition; nutrition therapy; food and nutrition education.