Once a resident has been identified as malnourished or at risk of malnutrition, what happens next? This project is working with facility staff, chefs, and residents to determine the best way to implement nutrition care or interventions.

Results so far

The research team has worked with several RACF partners to establish the Malnutrition Intervention Pathway (MIP).  The MIP includes pre-determined calorie and protein additions to be provided via various foods, food fortification (where nutrients are added to food) and supplements. Each MIP was tailored to be site-specific, so the RACF site determines how and what will be provided. A MIP flow chart was developed for each site to print and distribute to staff.  The implementation processes were checked monthly via the ‘Flow Check’ where we identified which steps of the MIP pathway were successful and which are not.

To date, our team has identified major implementation barriers particularly around communication of resident food and nutrition requirements. More work is needed to identify the best way to implement nutrition care.

What’s Involved

Residential aged care facility staff meet with our research team to discuss a tailored MIP.

Our research team use the AutoMal to quickly and easily identify residents who are at risk of malnutrition and alert the facility manager.  The facility manager then commences the MIP for these residents. Residents’ weight is monitored each month and the implementation pathway is reviewed to support the implementation pathway. We are looking to gather further evidence to support ‘best practice nutrition care’ for those at risk of malnutrition.

Contact us today if you are interested in collaborating.