Nutritional nursing care for patients undergoing surgery : a personalized approach

Abstract

The thesis describes the development and evaluation of nutritional nursing care for undernourished patients who undergo surgery. Also, the adherence to and applicability of fasting guidelines was investigated. A nursing intervention, based on literature and systematically developed, was delivered at outpatient clinics of two hospitals to patients (with risk for) undernutrition. Patients were encouraged to improve nutrient intake and reduce personal barriers for sufficient nutrient intake. This preoperative nutritional support improved total energy and protein intake. Observation of fasting habits in daily practice illustrated that patients fasted erroneously longer than recommended. Concrete nurse-led instruction about fasting and time of final consumption lead to more 6 and 2 hours of fasting. Future studies should address all barriers to facilitate optimal fasting behaviour. Personal nutritional care by nurses lead to better intake among undernourished patients and shortened fasting times.