Noticias

Convocatoria de Elecciones y Asamblea General del CODNIB

19-02-2024 Hits:658 Actividades

    Palma a 21 de febrero de 2024 Distinguido/a colegiado/a En cumplimiento de lo establecido en la Ley 4/2007 de 28 de marzo, de creación del Colegio Oficial de Dietistas-Nutricionis... Read more

EFAD news - June

The voice of European Dietetics 
Welcome to your fortnightly EFAD Newsflash - please share this important update with your colleagues and ask them to subscribe. 

Subscribe to this Newsflash

 

Aquesta adreça de correu-e està protegida dels robots de spam.Necessites Javascript habilitat per veure-la.

 
 

EFAD News

Hydration for dietitians by EFAD

A new short course on Hydration is now available online for Dietitians, created by EFAD in collaboration with Danone Nutricia Research.

The course includes videos with lectures on the Role of Dietitians in Hydration Education. Annemieke van Ginkel, President of EFAD, introduces the topic and highlights the need for dietitians to embed hydration in their practice. Pauline Douglas, dietitian and expert on hydration, demonstrates the importance of fluid assessment, explains the challenges of investigating drinking behaviour and provides practical advice for increasing fluid intake.

The course also includes a lecture on Hydration for the Older Person, explaining the physical changes occurring in older people that increase their risk of dehydration and the particular importance of staying well-hydrated for this population.

Lectures are followed by practical activities and videos on hydration, including the identification of barriers and facilitators of adequate fluid intake in older people in care homes and examples of creating a water-friendly environment.

See the course.

 

Would you like to get involved with the work of EFAD?

Please check out the next newsflash to see calls for volunteers to join many of the EFAD committees. Information about the various committees is available on our website. If you do not already subscribe to the newsflash please do so and share the link with your networks.

 
 
 

Revisit the EFAD Conference

Last year our EFAD Conference was attended by dietitians and dietetic students from all over Europe. Including Alison Booker, The British Dietetic Associations student representative 2019/20 who wrote about her time at the Conference

The next EFAD Congress will take place next year in Budapest, Hungary on 22-23 October 2021.

See the recap of the 2019 EFAD Conference.

Webinar on nutritional care in care homes

A new Covid-19 webinar will take place on Thursday 2 July at 7pm CET  entitled “Nutritional management in care homes and learnings from Covid-19”. A panel of international experts from The Netherlands, Sweden and Ireland will cover the nutritional challenges in the care home setting, highlight new evidence for nutrition support and share practical guidance on the implementation of nutrition care pathways in this vulnerable population in the context of Covid-19. 

Hosted by Nutricia with cooperation and support from EFAD. Register for the webinar.

 

 

Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM)

Harriët Jager-Wittenaar, PhD, RD and EFAD representative to the GLIM Validation Study Group, has published a twin publication about Guidance for validation of the GLIM criteria. The paper has been published in Clinical Nutrition and the Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (JPEN).

Read the paper in Clinical Nutrition.

Read the paper in the Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition.
 

 

European Updates

2020 Global Nutrition Report

The Global Nutrition Report calls on governments, businesses and civil society to step up efforts to address malnutrition in all its forms and tackle injustices in food and health systems. It also acknowledges the importance of dietitians. The report states that; 'The number of qualified nutrition professionals should be increased as part of strengthening the delivery of nutrition services within the health system. Integrating nutrition within health systems would generate substantial health gains and be highly cost-effective.'

Read the report in full.

 

ONCA featured in Clinical Nutrition article

Ten years ago, European health care professional societies, health associations and members of the European Parliament discussed the necessary and urgent actions needed to improve access, initiation and follow up nutritional care for European citizens. As a response to this, in 2014 the Optimal Nutritional Care for All (ONCA) campaign was launched under the leadership of the European Nutritional for Health Alliance and its members.

Read the article.

 
 
 

Farm to Fork Strategy


The European Green Deal sets out how to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. It maps a new, sustainable and inclusive growth strategy to boost the economy, improve people's health and quality of life, care for nature, and leave no one behind. The Farm to Fork Strategy is at the heart of the Green Deal. It addresses comprehensively the challenges of sustainable food systems and recognises the inextricable links between healthy people, healthy societies and a healthy planet.

Download the strategy.

FAO & WHO sustainable healthy diets

Two of the major challenges of our times are malnutrition and the degradation of environmental and natural resources. Both are happening at an accelerated pace. The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World Report shows that the number of people who are undernourished has been slowly increasing for several years in a row, and at the same time the number of people with overweight and obesity all over the world is increasing at an alarming rate.

Find out more.

 

EU4Health launched

The European Commission has proposed a new, ambitious stand-alone health programme for the 2021‐2027 period – the EU4Health Programme. EU4Health will make a significant contribution to the post-COVID-19 recovery by making the EU population healthier, strengthening the resilience of health systems, and promoting innovation in the health sector.

Find out more.

 

Unsafe food affects millions in EU during COVID-19 pandemic

On 7 June the World Health Organisation (WHO) marked the second global World Food Safety Day.

Food-borne diseases can cause illness, disability and death and are a significant public health concern in the WHO European Region. It is estimated that every year, 23 million people fall ill and approximately 4700 people die from consuming contaminated food.

In addition to being a threat to human health, unsafe food also plays a fundamental role in the socioeconomic development of countries as it affects international trade and market opportunities. The basic principles that each individual should know to prevent food-borne diseases remain relevant, and some also offer protection from Covid-19, such as hand washing.

Find out more.

 

Open-EU article read by over 50,000

Obesity Policy Engagement Network - EU (OPEN-EU) is a sustained global initiative aiming to achieve national support for improved obesity care. OPEN-EU is a network for national coalitions of public health, policy, patient representatives and other thought leaders in the field of obesity from across the world. During the Covid-19 pandemic OPEN-EU have supported improved care for people living with obesity. They are focused on facilitating the sharing of insights on how people with obesity are being impacted by Covid-19, as well as advocating for people with obesity to be prioritised by health systems now, and in the future. As a result of their aims their work recently featured in Politico Playbook.

Read the feature in full.

 

Awards

The Danone International Prize for Alimentation

The Danone International Prize for Alimentation (DIPA) is a 100,000 Euro Prize open to mid-career researchers from a variety of scientific disciplines within Alimentation, including behavioral science, sociology, anthropology, psychology, environmental science, economics, and cultural studies.
 

The purpose of the DIPA is to encourage and support cutting edge, innovative and multidisciplinary scientific research in Alimentation, the umbrella term for sustainable eating and drinking practices that contribute to the health of individuals, including food choice, purchase, preparation, cooking and meal organisation, and their determinants.

Find out more.

 

Webinars

Healthy Ageing Webinar

The European Forum for Primary Care EFPC, as part of the PRIMORE (Primary Care Multi-Professional Researcher Network) project will be hosting a webinar examining Migration and Healthy Ageing Perspectives from Users and Service Providers, 26 June at 12:30pm (CET).

The process of ageing for elderly migrants is often a complex and multi-dimensional process, which is shaped by a range of different factors. This webinar will deal with such complexity and make the arguments for an integrated, diversity-sensitive and interdisciplinary approach in service provision for elderly migrants. Increasingly, the workforce in health and care service provision for the elderly in Norway and the EU are themselves migrants. The webinar will also explore the possible benefits and challenges related to an increasingly multicultural workforce in service provision.

Register now!

 

Covid-19 and Obesity Webinar Series

In response to the current Covid-19 Pandemic, the World Obesity Federation and colleagues launched a series of webinars on Covid-19 & obesity. Evidence is emerging that suggests that obesity-related conditions seem to worsen the effects of the virus; individuals with heart disease and diabetes are at higher risk of Covid-19 complications and patient management for people with obesity in intensive care units presents challenges for healthcare professionals on the front-line. These challenges will strain weak health systems that are already not well set up to manage patients with obesity (as reported by our MAPPS study published on Clinical Obesity).

Register to attend.

 

Subscribe to this Newsflash

 

We hope you have enjoyed your new-look EFAD Newsflash. Any Aquesta adreça de correu-e està protegida dels robots de spam.Necessites Javascript habilitat per veure-la., would be appreciated.

 

To help spread the Voice of European Dietetics across the continent, please share widely with your colleagues and ask them to subscribe. Aquesta adreça de correu-e està protegida dels robots de spam.Necessites Javascript habilitat per veure-la. you wish to be included in the next edition and note that going forward, EFAD Newsflash will be sent fortnightly.

COVID-19 Updates - Jun 2020

 

The voice of European Dietetics 
Welcome to your fortnightly EFAD Newsflash - please share this important update with your colleagues and ask them to subscribe. 

Subscribe to this Newsflash

 
 

COVID-19 Updates

We recently launched our Briefing Paper 'Role of Dietitians in the fight against COVID-19'. This briefing outlines the core role that dietitians are playing in the response to COVID-19, from the frontline in acute care to population level advice and support in acute community care, primary care, food service and education.

Our paper and work surrounding COVID-19 was featured in Nutrition Insight where our Executive Director, Judith Liddell spoke to them about the importance of dietitians to a patients recovery from COVID-19, "Patients who have suffered COVID-19 and been hospitalised will be at increased risk of malnutrition and will likely have suffered loss of muscle during their stay. Dietitians can recommend nutrient rich, fortified, tasty foods or specialist nutrition supplements to help people regain the weight and muscle that may have been lost".

Our briefing paper establishes the role of dietitians in the fight against COVID-19 in the following areas: 
•    Treating COVID-19 in critical care
•    Helping people get back on their feet
•    Supporting vulnerable people with technology
•    Supporting Public Health
•    Tackling harmful myths
As well as providing information on what you can do to help during this pandemic.

Read our paper in full.

 

Now that the first COVID-19 patients are starting to be discharged from hospital wards, these patients are being directed towards our first-line dietitians to begin their recovery phase post- hospitalisation. The information these discharged patients receive in terms of nutritional guidance in their home-setting is often limited.

First-line dietitians are being expected to support these discharged COVID-19 patients following their hospitalization. It is thus important that there are clear guidelines and a care pathway in place. Based on the available literature and insights gathered from these patients’ first experiences in their recovery phase, dietitians in the Netherlands have created the 'Nutrition during the recovery of COVID-19' care pathway. These guidelines are intended for all dietitians working in the primary healthcare setting and who are managing this patient group. 

Read the guidelines; available in Dutch and English.

 

WHO publishes survey results on impact of COVID-19

Prevention and treatment services for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) have been severely disrupted since the COVID-19 pandemic began, according to recent results from a WHO survey.

The survey, which was completed by 155 countries during a three week period in May, confirmed that the impact is global, but that low-income countries are most affected. This situation is of significant concern because many people living with NCDs are at higher risk of severe COVID-19-related illness and death.

Find out more.

 

EU4Health launches

The European Commission has proposed a new, ambitious stand-alone health programme for the 2021‐2027 period – the EU4Health Programme.

EU4Health will make a significant contribution to the post-COVID-19 recovery by making the EU population healthier, strengthening the resilience of health systems, and promoting innovation in the health sector.

This new programme will also fill the gaps revealed by the COVID-19 crisis and ensure that EU health systems are resilient enough to face new and future health threats. See a summary of EU4Health by reading its fact sheet.

Find out more.

EFAD webinar attended by over 600 people

Our recent COVID-19 webinar - 'Nutritional Rehabilitation after COVID-19 infection: Homeward-bound after hospital discharge’ that took place last month was attended by 611 people from 52 countries, 45% of the attendees were dietitians.

This webinar discussed the need for nutritional care after COVID-19 hospital discharge and provided practical guidance on nutritional care pathways in the community for these individuals. It has recently been listed by the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN) list of resources for Clinicians Caring for Patients with Coronavirus.

Rewatch our webinar.

 

Maintaining essential health services

Maintaining essential health services: operational guidance for the COVID-19 context is guidance developed by WHO. It recommends practical actions that countries can take at national, regional and local levels to reorganise and safely maintain access to high-quality, essential health services in the pandemic context. It also outlines sample indicators for monitoring essential health services, and describes considerations on when to stop and restart services as COVID-19 transmission recedes and surges.

Read the guidance. 

 

Webinar on nutritional care in long-term care facilities: save the date! 


A new webinar in relation to COVID-19 will take place on Thursday 2 July at 7pm CET  entitled “Nutritional care in long-term care facilities and learnings from the COVID-19 pandemic”. A panel of international experts from The Netherlands, Sweden and Ireland will cover the nutritional challenges in the care home setting, highlight new evidence for nutrition support and share practical guidance on the implementation of nutrition care pathways in this vulnerable population in the context of COVID-19. 

Hosted by Nutricia with special thanks to EFAD for cooperation and support of the webinar. Look out for registration opening soon!

 

EFAD News

Launch of the full EuDAP report

The European Dietetic Action Plan (EuDAP) 2015-2020, launched by EFAD in October 2015, is a commitment by dietitians throughout Europe to take actions that will achieve better nutrition and sustainable health, through pro-active engagement with Health 2020 and the European Food and Nutrition Action Plan (2015-2020).

For the first time, the EuDAP Full Report 2018 has been created in the form of an online database. The data in this report is based on European dietetic activities from 2018, which were collected in the 2019 EuDAP Survey.

The EuDAP database is now open to collect information about all the actions dietitians undertook in 2019 and to record all their actions to combat COVID-19 in 2020.

Read the report in full.

 

Policy and Strategy Updates

73rd health assembly ends with global commitment to COVID-19 response

The 73rd World Health Assembly - its first-ever to be held virtually - delegates adopted a landmark resolution to bring the world together to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

The resolution, co-sponsored by more than 130 countries, was adopted by consensus. It calls for the intensification of efforts to control the pandemic, and for equitable access to and fair distribution of all essential health technologies and products to combat the virus. It also calls for an independent and comprehensive evaluation of the global response, including, but not limited to, WHO’s performance.

Find out more.

 

World Cancer Research Fund International launch framework

World Cancer Research Fund International have developed the NOURISHING framework to highlight where governments need to take action to promote healthy diets and reduce overweight and obesity.

The framework is accompanied by a regularly updated database (last updated 8 May 2019), providing an extensive overview of implemented government policy actions from around the world. 

Find out more.

EU Co-Create project launches to reduce childhood obesity

CO-CREATE brings together World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) International and 13 other research and advocacy organisations to work with young people to create, inform and disseminate evidence-based policies that help prevent obesity. They aim to reduce childhood obesity and associated co-morbidities in Europe and the rest of the world.

Find out more about the project.

 

Sugar intake guide

The European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition Committee on Nutrition have developed a guide to sugar intake in infants, children and adolescents.

This guide explains what sugar is, current recommendations for sugar intake and outlines the problems of overconsumption that exist. It goes on to explain the taste preference development of children (innate as well as postnatal) and then finally provides recommendations and practical advice on free sugar intake for children as well as the recommended drinks for children of differing ages.

See the guide.

 

The importance of nutrition and food for European patient groups

The key to establishing solid commitment and leverage by European and national stakeholders in nutritional care is participation of national and European patient organisations. In this article several examples are given of the added value of patient participation in nutritional care. A recent development is the translation of scientific nutritional guidelines from ESPEN in lay-versions for individual patients and patient groups. 

Read the paper in full (pg 9).

 

Events

Impactful Communication: Meaningful Messages to Inspire Change


Learning to effectively build a message and communicate it to different audiences can help expand your reach, build your career, and inspire change in food and nutrition.

During this free, two-hour interactive workshop, three nutrition professionals and expert communicators will share their experience crafting and delivering messages for consumers, the media, and policy makers to enact change and build awareness around food, nutrition, and agriculture. A portion of the workshop will include interactive small group breakouts with the opportunity to discuss and put learnings into practice with fellow professionals.

This workshop is sponsored by Bayer Crop Science. Participants will receive a certificate of participation. It has also been approved for two hours of continuing education for RDNs from the Commission on Dietetic Registration.

This work shop will take place Tuesday 23 June at 5pm (CET).

Register now

 

Rewatch our COVID-19 Nutritional Rehabilitation Webinar

 
 
 

EFAD News

COVID-19 Briefing Paper

Last week we launched our briefing paper 'Role of Dietitians in the fight against COVID-19'. This briefing outlines the core role that dietitians are playing in the response to COVID-19, from the front line in acute care to population level advice and support in acute community care, primary care, food service and education.

Our briefing paper establishes the role of dietitians in the fight against COVID-19 in the following areas:

  • Treating COVID in critical care
  • Helping people get back on their feet
  • Supporting vulnerable people with technology
  • Supporting Public Health
  • Tackling harmful myths

As well as providing information on what you can do to help during this pandemic.

Read our paper in full.

 

Alongside the launch of our briefing paper 'Role of Dietitians in the fight against COVID-19'. We also published a press release to promote our paper. 

In it we call for recognition of the important role of dietitians and appropriate dietetic care
during each phase of the Covid-19 journey. 

Read our press release in full.

 

Rewatch our Covid-19 webinar

Our Covid-19 webinar - 'Nutritional Rehabilitation after Covid-19 infection: Homeward-bound after hospital discharge’ that took place last week got over 600 viewers. This webinar discussed the need for nutritional care after Covid-19 hospital discharge and provided practical guidance on nutritional care pathways in the community for these individuals, the digital booklet for this webinar is also available.

Rewatch now.

EFAD quoted in report to European Parliament

On 20 May 2020, the European Commission adopted the Report to the European Parliament and the Council regarding the use of additional forms of expression and presentation of the nutrition declaration. Our work on the importance of nutritional labelling was quoted in the report.

Read the report in full.

 

Full EuDAP report

The European Dietetic Action Plan (EuDAP) 2015-2020, launched by EFAD in October 2015, is a commitment by dietitians throughout Europe to take actions that will achieve better nutrition and sustainable health, through pro-active engagement with Health 2020 and the European Food and Nutrition Action Plan (2015-2020).

For the first time, the EuDAP Full Report 2018 has been created in the form of an online database. The data in this report is based on European dietetic activities from 2018, which were collected in the 2019 EuDAP Survey.

Read the report in full.

 

Policy and Strategy Updates

Covid-19 Care Pathway

As the first Covid-19 patients are starting to be discharged from hospital wards, these patients are being directed towards dietitians to begin their recovery phase. The information these discharged patients receive in terms of nutritional guidance in their home-setting is often limited.

As dietitians are expected to support those discharged from hospital after Covid-19, it is important there are clear guidelines and a care pathway in place. Based on the available literature and insights gathered from these patients’ first experiences in their recovery phase, Diëtheek has created the Nutrition during the recovery of Covid-19 care pathway.

These guidelines are intended for all dietitians working in the primary healthcare setting and who are managing this patient group.

Read the care pathway in full.

 

ECHAlliance Member only Collaboration and Funding Opportunities

ECHAlliance have seen their membership grow and expand which, as a member organisation, means more connections and opportunities for members and ecosystems. As a result of Covid-19 there has been an increase in demand for collaboration and connections, which has been aided by ECHAlliance's regular member communications, to further this success they are now launching their first regular Member Only Collaboration and Funding Opportunities Newsletter which will be starting in June. 

Sign up to receive the newsletter.

European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing Newsletter

European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing recently published their latest newsletter. This edition saw a number of funding opportunities available across Europe as well as a number of opportunities. These include calls for authors in the public sector and online events on the future of digital innovation and webinars on European Hospitals reacting and adapting to Covid-19.

Read the newsletter in full.

 

Farm to Fork Update

The Farm to Fork Strategy is at the heart of the European Green Deal aiming to make food systems fair, healthy and environmentally-friendly. Food systems cannot be resilient to crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic if they are not sustainable. Putting our food systems on a sustainable path also brings new opportunities for operators in the food value chain. New technologies and scientific discoveries, combined with increasing public awareness and demand for sustainable food, will benefit all stakeholders.

Find out more about Farm to Fork.

 

Campaigns

UK Dietitians Week 2020

Although Covid-19 means face to face campaigns and events aren’t possible, the British Dietetic Association (BDA) is continuing with UK Dietitians Week 2020 1-5 June 2020. The week will be a social media only celebration of #WhatDietitiansDo. EFAD member organisations and dietitians across Europe are encouraged to join in and take part using the hashtags. The BDA particularly want to hear about how dietitians have been adapting to face the Covid pandemic.

Find out more.

 

Survey

EUFIC materials survey

EUFIC develops engaging science-based materials to inspire and empower people to make healthier and more sustainable food and lifestyle choices.

The materials that they produce are often used by professionals - health professionals, educators, media, etc. - and they'd like to hear specifically from you how we could make them even more relevant and useful.

Take the survey.

 

Events

NUTRITION 2020 LIVE ONLINE

You can join this rich, interactive experience from anywhere in the world. It offers great lectures, scientific sessions, satellite programs, virtual abstract presentations, virtual exhibits, and more.

This online event will take place 1 - 4 June. Register now.

 

World Obesity Live - Covid-19 and obesity: Emerging insights and policy implications

In response to the current Covid-19 Pandemic, the World Obesity Federation and colleagues are running a series of webinars on Covid-19 and Obesity. This webinar will explore the latest data that is emerging on Covid-19 and obesity, with a particular focus on the policy implications and policy response to date on obesity. Taking place a week after the WHO’s World Health Assembly, the webinar will also reflect on some of the opportunities for raising the profile of obesity on the global health agenda.

Register to attend.

 

Subscribe to this Newsflash

 

We hope you have enjoyed your new-look EFAD Newsflash. Any Aquesta adreça de correu-e està protegida dels robots de spam.Necessites Javascript habilitat per veure-la., would be appreciated.

To help spread the Voice of European Dietetics across the continent, please share widely with your colleagues and ask them to subscribe. Aquesta adreça de correu-e està protegida dels robots de spam.Necessites Javascript habilitat per veure-la. you wish to be included in the next edition and note that going forward, EFAD Newsflash will be sent fortnightly.

 
 
 
 

Role of Dietitians in the fight against COVID-19

 
 
 
 

Dietitians across Europe are fighting the COVID-19 pandemic in many different ways and settings.

As a profession, European dietitians are the clinical nutrition experts, fully prepared and educated to improve nutrition and health. They are specifically trained to support the nutrition and hydration needs of acutely and chronically ill people with a wide range of conditions and to monitor the nutritional status of populations at risk, including older adults and people with food insecurity.
 

Dietitians are able to work across all sectors where food and nutrition matter. To tackle COVID-19 dietitians are collaborating with other health professionals in many settings, including Intensive Care Units, hospital wards, rehabilitation at home, food service and primary care.

Furthermore, public health dietitians are making significant contributions to local, regional and national action plans regarding nutrition and food to keep the population healthy.
 
EFAD trusts that this special COVID-19 Newsflash edition will inform readers of the many resources available to support dietitians and other health professionals in the continuing fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
Please Aquesta adreça de correu-e està protegida dels robots de spam.Necessites Javascript habilitat per veure-la. about your best practises and learning. We are proud to share!
Thank you!
 
Judith Liddell
EFAD Executive Director

 
 

EFAD launches Briefing Paper

We have now launched our Briefing Paper 'Role of Dietitians in the fight against COVID-19'. This briefing outlines the core role that dietitians are playing in the response to COVID-19, from the frontline in acute care to population level advice and support in acute community care, primary care, food service and education.

Our briefing paper establishes the role of dietitians in the fight against COVID-19 in the following areas:

We also provide information on what you can do to help during this pandemic.

 

EFAD COVID-19 Webinar

The next EFAD webinar in relation to Covid-19 will take place on Monday 25 May at 7pm CET- 'Nutritional Rehabilitation after Covid-19 infection: Homeward-bound after hospital discharge’. The webinar will discuss the need for nutritional care after Covid-19 hospital discharge and provide practical guidance on nutritional care pathways in the community for these individuals. Register online.

 

COVID-19 Resource Hub

Our member associations have produced a number of resources aimed at both dietitians and the general public in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

These resources have been organised into sub-categories on our website to help you access them:

We will continue to update these web pages in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. If you wish to submit any resources that you or your association have developed then please do so Aquesta adreça de correu-e està protegida dels robots de spam.Necessites Javascript habilitat per veure-la..

 

COVID-19 Care Pathway

As the first COVID-19 patients are starting to be discharged from hospital wards, these patients are being directed towards dietitians to begin their recovery phase. The information these discharged patients receive in terms of nutritional guidance in their home-setting is often limited.

As dietitians are expected to support those discharged from hospital after COVID-19, it is important there are clear guidelines and a care pathway in place. Based on the available literature and insights gathered from these patients’ first experiences in their recovery phase, Diëtheek has created the “Nutrition during the recovery of COVID-19” care pathway.

These guidelines are intended for all dietitians working in the primary healthcare setting and who are managing this patient group.

Read the care pathway in full.

 
 
 

Treating COVID in critical care

Most patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) with COVID-19 will be sedated, ventilated and will have nutrition, hydration and medications delivered through feeding tubes and in some cases, nutrition and hydration will be delivered directly into the vein. Analysis from the International Nutrition Survey continually shows that there is a direct correlation between the total number of funded dietitians in intensive care and improved patient care.

Dietitians are essential to ensuring that nutrition is delivered in the safest and most effective way for each patient.

Read more to find out the importance of dietitians in critical care.

Helping people get back on their feet

Dietitians have an important role to play in rehabilitation, reducing risk of complications and shortening recovery times. Patients who have had COVID-19 and been hospitalised will be at increased risk of malnutrition and will likely have lost muscle during their stay as highlighted in this UK news segment on the recovery process of COVID-19.

Dietitians can recommend nutrient rich, fortified foods or specialist nutrition supplements to help people regain weight and muscle. This will often involve direct community support and close liaison with other health professions who are supporting rehabilitation.

Find out more about the role of dietitians in the recovery process.

 
 

Supporting vulnerable people with technology

People with pre-existing health conditions, such as malnutrition, cancer, obesity, diabetes, food allergies and eating disorders require support.

Dietitians support some of the more vulnerable population groups in a community and these patients still need help even during COVID-19 lockdown through food education programs, identifying incidences of social isolation and assisting local authorities with food supply.

Dietitians are using technology to great effect, including video conferencing and specialist apps to provide consultations and support to patients who need them.

Dietitians continue to work with specialist third sector organisations to provide vital remote support wherever possible to continue to support those with conditions such as eating disorders.

Learn more about what dietitians are doing to support the vulnerable.

Supporting Public Health


In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic the World Health Organization emphasised the importance of appropriate diet and lifestyle measures, including adequate nutrition, for the normal function of the immune system. Poor nutrition, due to either insufficient dietary intake of key nutrients, excessive energy intake or a poor overall diet quality, can compromise immune function and increase overall infection risk.

For the many people that are not dealing with COVID-19 or existing health conditions, lockdown presents many challenges. Accessing and/or maintaining a healthy diet and getting sufficient exercise during this time is more difficult and early evidence indicates people of all ages are eating less healthily. That is why it is so important that public health dietitians continue to provide helpful information and guidance to the public to help them make best use of the food they can access, by promoting healthy and sustainable choices.

Find out more about the role of dietitians in Public Health during in the COVID-19 pandemic. 

 
 
 

Tackling harmful myths

As many people struggle to understand the COVID-19 pandemic and seek out solutions or comfort online, there have been some people willing to exploit that and share unhelpful and unevidenced “cures” and solutions. This has ranged from the downright ridiculous to the dangerously believable.

It was estimated that in one week over half of UK adults were exposed to misinformation about COVID-19 online.

Dietitians have an important role to play in busting these myths, both on social media and more conventional press and TV.

Call to Action

Everyone should continue to follow WHO and Government advice such as remaining at home and social distancing, alongside meticulous hand-hygiene.

Diet and lifestyle measures are not a substitute for current public health advice, but we hope that this briefing will help dietitians, health professionals, health caterers, policymakers and members of the public to optimise nutrition for everyone.

Read our briefing paper in full to find out more.

 
 

Subcategories

FaLang translation system by Faboba

Facebook