Altered Nutritional Status (AMDA Clinical Guideline; new edition 2010)
Detailed Description
This CPG has been developed to help interdisciplinary teams evaluate and manage nursing home patients who are at risk for or who have experienced a significant change in weight. The guideline offers a structured approach to the recognition, assessment, treatment, and monitoring of ANS that acknowledges the ethical implications of this condition for patients, their families, and the staff of LTC facilities. It is hoped that this guideline will also be helpful to those who develop and determine institutional policies and procedures and the survey processes at the federal and the state levels.This guideline recognizes that failure to identify or to correct a remediable cause of weight loss can have profound implications for the patient's prognosis and the facility's regulatory and legal liability. Therefore, it is essential to clearly define unavoidable clinical decline and include palliative and end of life care as part of the facility's spectrum of clinical responsibilities.
Common Infections in the Long Term Care Setting, (AMDA Clinical Guidelines)
