Dehydration and malnutrition in residential care: Recommendations for strategies for improving practice derived from a scoping review of existing policies and guidelines

Bunn, Diane, Hooper, Lee ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7904-3331 and Welch, Ailsa (2018) Dehydration and malnutrition in residential care: Recommendations for strategies for improving practice derived from a scoping review of existing policies and guidelines. Geriatrics, 3 (4). ISSN 2308-3417

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Abstract

Preventing malnutrition and dehydration in older care home residents is a complex task, with both conditions remaining prevalent, despite numerous guidelines spanning several decades. This policy-mapping scoping review used snowballing search methods to locate publicly-available policies, reports and best practice guidelines relating to hydration and nutrition in UK residential care homes, to describe the existing knowledge base and pinpoint gaps in practice, interpretation and further investigation. The findings were synthesised narratively to identify solutions. Strategies for improvements to nutritional and hydration care include the development of age and population-specific nutrient and fluid intake guidelines, statutory regulation, contractual obligations for commissioners, appropriate menu-planning, the implementation and auditing of care, acknowledgment of residents’ eating and drinking experiences, effective screening, monitoring and treatment and staff training. The considerable body of existing knowledge is failing to influence practice, relating to translational issues of implementing knowledge into care at the point of delivery, and this is where future research and actions should focus.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: aged,nutrition policy,dehydration,malnutrition,homes for the aged,sdg 2 - zero hunger ,/dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/zero_hunger
Faculty \ School: Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > School of Health Sciences
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Norwich Medical School
UEA Research Groups: Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Groups > Health Promotion
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Groups > Health Services and Primary Care
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Groups > Epidemiology and Public Health
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Groups > Public Health and Health Services Research (former - to 2023)
Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Norwich Epidemiology Centre
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Groups > Norwich Epidemiology Centre
Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Centres > Water Security Research Centre
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Centres > Population Health
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Centres > Lifespan Health
Depositing User: LivePure Connector
Date Deposited: 13 Nov 2018 11:30
Last Modified: 19 Oct 2023 02:18
URI: https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/68862
DOI: 10.3390/geriatrics3040077

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