Designing a national clinical audit of nutritional care in health and social care settings: consideration and future directions

TY - JOUR

T1 - Designing a national clinical audit of nutritional care in health and social care settings

T2 - consideration and future directions

AU - Parsons, Emma L.

AU - Baldwin, Christine

AU - Fitzpatrick, Joanne M

AU - Knight, Annemarie

AU - Manthorpe, Jill

AU - Thomas, Jane E.

AU - Weekes, Elizabeth

AU - Whelan, Kevin

AU - Wilson, Richard

AU - Murrells, Trevor

AU - Cassidy, Aidan

AU - Griffiths, Peter

AU - Emery, Peter W.

PY - 2013/5

Y1 - 2013/5

N2 - The aim of this review paper is to consider how the principles of clinical audit could be applied to the development of an audit of nutritional care in hospitals and care homes, based on criteria derived from the Essence of Care: Food and Drink. A literature review identified fifteen key papers that included guidance or standards for nutritional care in hospitals or care homes. These were used to supplement the ten factors suggested by the Essence of Care to develop a set of potential audit criteria covering all aspects of the nutritional care pathway including the identification of risk of malnutrition, implementation of nutritional care plans, referral to healthcare professionals for further nutritional assessment and nutritional support strategies. A series of audit tools have been developed, including an organisational level audit tool, a staff questionnaire, a patients' and residents' records audit tool and a patients' and residents' experiences questionnaire. Further issues to consider in designing a national nutritional audit include the potential role of direct observation of care, the use of trained auditors and the scope for including the results of pre-existing local audits. In conclusion, a national audit would need to encompass a very large number of health and care organisations of widely varying sizes and types and a diverse range of people.

AB - The aim of this review paper is to consider how the principles of clinical audit could be applied to the development of an audit of nutritional care in hospitals and care homes, based on criteria derived from the Essence of Care: Food and Drink. A literature review identified fifteen key papers that included guidance or standards for nutritional care in hospitals or care homes. These were used to supplement the ten factors suggested by the Essence of Care to develop a set of potential audit criteria covering all aspects of the nutritional care pathway including the identification of risk of malnutrition, implementation of nutritional care plans, referral to healthcare professionals for further nutritional assessment and nutritional support strategies. A series of audit tools have been developed, including an organisational level audit tool, a staff questionnaire, a patients' and residents' records audit tool and a patients' and residents' experiences questionnaire. Further issues to consider in designing a national nutritional audit include the potential role of direct observation of care, the use of trained auditors and the scope for including the results of pre-existing local audits. In conclusion, a national audit would need to encompass a very large number of health and care organisations of widely varying sizes and types and a diverse range of people.

KW - Clinical audit

KW - Nutrition

KW - Hospitals

KW - Care homes

KW - Older people

KW - FOOD ACCESS

KW - MALNUTRITION

KW - EXPERIENCES

KW - QUALITY

KW - IMPACT

KW - UK

U2 - 10.1017/S0029665113000980

DO - 10.1017/S0029665113000980

M3 - Article

SN - 0029-6651

VL - 72

SP - 251

EP - 260

JO - Proceedings of the Nutrition Society

JF - Proceedings of the Nutrition Society

IS - 2

ER -