Promoting nurses’ behaviour change in nutritional care

Approximately 35% of older adults with care needs are malnourished and this has negative consequences for their health. Nutritional care for older adults is of utmost importance to fight malnutrition. The focus of this PhD project was on how nutritional care is provided by nurses. Although nurses stated that they consider nutritional care important, it is suboptimal for older adults in hospital and home care. Several studies were conducted with nurses, older adults and informal caregivers. In these studies, several factors which influence behaviour of nurses in nutritional care were identified. The studies showed that there is e.g. a lack of sufficient knowledge about nutritional care, that nutritional care has low prioritisation and that there is a moderate awareness about risk factors for malnutrition. Based on these factors, an educational intervention was developed to enhance knowledge and behaviour of nurses regarding nutritional care. Motivating nurses was taken as a starting point. This has led to the development of a brief and concise microlearning intervention consisting of 30 statements about nursing nutritional care for older adults, which are presented through an online platform. The microlearning intervention is an important first step to enhance nutritional care. Nurses are willing to learn, but behaviour change is complex. But there are opportunities enabling nurses to adequately integrate nutritional care in their routine practice. They can provide proper nutritional care together with other professionals, older adults and their relatives. Ultimately, it is important that older adults stay healthy. Therefore, good nutrition is crucial

Promoting nurses’ behaviour change in nutritional care

Approximately 35% of older adults with care needs are malnourished and this has negative consequences for their health. Nutritional care for older adults is of utmost importance to fight malnutrition. The focus of this PhD project was on how nutritional care is provided by nurses. Although nurses stated that they consider nutritional care important, it is suboptimal for older adults in hospital and home care. Several studies were conducted with nurses, older adults and informal caregivers. In these studies, several factors which influence behaviour of nurses in nutritional care were identified. The studies showed that there is e.g. a lack of sufficient knowledge about nutritional care, that nutritional care has low prioritisation and that there is a moderate awareness about risk factors for malnutrition. Based on these factors, an educational intervention was developed to enhance knowledge and behaviour of nurses regarding nutritional care. Motivating nurses was taken as a starting point. This has led to the development of a brief and concise microlearning intervention consisting of 30 statements about nursing nutritional care for older adults, which are presented through an online platform. The microlearning intervention is an important first step to enhance nutritional care. Nurses are willing to learn, but behaviour change is complex. But there are opportunities enabling nurses to adequately integrate nutritional care in their routine practice. They can provide proper nutritional care together with other professionals, older adults and their relatives. Ultimately, it is important that older adults stay healthy. Therefore, good nutrition is crucial

Leerdoelenoverzicht voor ondervoedingsonderwijs

Door de onderwijsexpertraad van de Stuurgroep Ondervoeding is een onderwijshulpmiddel ontwikkeld, het zogenaamde leerdoelenoverzicht, dat bij kan dragen aan de verbetering van het ondervoedingsonderwijs in de Bachelor Verpleegkunde. De expertraad beoogt hiermee toekomstige verpleegkundigen voor te bereiden op het leveren van adequate voedingszorg aan zorgvragers om ondervoeding te voorkomen en te behandelen. Vijf vragen aan drie van de zes ontwikkelaars, Jellie Zuidema, Canan Ziylan en Debbie ten Cate

Samen de brug slaan tussen onderzoek en onderwijs: Docenten en onderzoekers werken samen bij uitvoering literatuuronderzoek

Samenwerking tussen docenten en onderzoekers binnen hogescholen bij het lezen en beoordelen van wetenschappelijke artikelen in een systematische review, biedt kansen voor zowel onderzoek als onderwijs. Het vergroot zowel de onderzoekscapaciteit als de competentie van docenten om wetenschappelijke literatuur te lezen en op waarde te beoordelen. Docenten en onderzoekers slaan hiermee een brug tussen onderzoek en onderwijs. Dit artikel gaat over een project waarin docenten en onderzoekers van de Hogeschool Utrecht gezamenlijk een systematische review van literatuur uitvoerden. We beschrijven hun ervaringen en de bijdrage die het leverde aan onderzoek en onderwijs

Development of a microlearning intervention regarding nursing nutritional care for older adults: A multi-methods study

Background: Nutritional care for older adults provided by hospital and home care nurses and nursing assistants is suboptimal. This is due to several factors including professionals' lack of knowledge and low prioritisation. Affecting these factors may promote nurses' and nursing assistants' behavioral change and eventually improve nutritional care. To increase the likelihood of successfully targeting these factors, an evidence-based educational intervention is needed. Objectives: To develop an educational intervention for hospital and home care nurses and nursing assistants to promote behaviour change by affecting factors that influence current behaviour in nutritional care for older adults. In this paper, we describe the intervention development process. Design: A multi-methods approach using literature and expert input. Settings: Hospital and home care. Participants: Older adults, nurses, nursing assistants, experts, and other professionals involved in nutritional care. Methods: The educational intervention was based on five principles: 1) interaction between intervention and users, 2) targeting users on both individual and team level, 3) supporting direct and easy transfer to the workplace, and continuous learning, 4) facilitating learning within an appropriate period, and 5) fitting with the context. Consistent with these principles, the research team focussed on developing a microlearning intervention and they established consensus on seven features of the intervention: content, provider, mode of delivery, setting, recipient, intensity, and duration. Results: The intervention consisted of 30 statements about nursing nutritional care for older adults, which nurses and nursing assistants were asked to confirm or reject, followed by corresponding explanations. These can be presented in a snack-sized way, this means one statement per day, five times a week over a period of six weeks through an online platform. Conclusions: Based on a well-founded and comprehensive procedure, the microlearning intervention was developed. This intervention has the potential to contribute to nursing nutritional care for older adults

Older Adults' and Their Informal Caregivers' Experiences and Needs regarding Nutritional Care Provided in the Periods before, during and after Hospitalization: A Qualitative Study

To enhance prevention and treatment of malnutrition in older adults before, during and after hospitalization, deeper understanding of older adults’ and informal caregivers’ perspective on nutritional care is important. One-time in-depth interviews were conducted with 15 older adults who had been discharged from hospital, and seven informal caregivers. We explored their experiences and needs regarding nutritional care provided in the periods before, during and after hospitalization. Five themes emerged from the data: (1) dietary intake, (2) food service during hospitalization, (3) nutrition-related activities, (4) whose job it is to give nutritional care, and (5) competing care priorities. Further, several opinions about nutritional issues were identified. Older adults and informal caregivers did not always experience optimal nutritional care. When discussing nutritional care, they mainly focused on the in-hospital period. When providing nutritional care and developing guidelines, older adults’ and informal caregivers’ perspective on nutritional care should be incorporated. Here, the periods before, during and after hospitalization should be taken into account equally

Krijgt voeding in het onderwijs meer vaste grond onder de voeten?

Voeding speelt een belangrijke rol bij de preventie en behandeling van ziekten. In de verpleegkundige basiszorg is voeding een fundament dat alle zorgactiviteiten voor eten en drinken omvat. Het is daarom belangrijk dat er in de opleiding tot bachelor verpleegkundige voldoende aandacht is voor voeding