Ninety-three percent of elderly adults (over 65) living with malnutrition are residing in the community (Age UK, 2017), and at least one in 10 visits to a general practitioner are by adults that are experiencing malnutrition (British Association of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition [BAPEN], 2015). General practice nurses (GPNs) will be exposed to patients with acute conditions such as a chest infection or a pressure ulcer, or chronic conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD), chronic kidney disease and dementia, which increase their risk of malnutrition. Oral nutritional supplementation is one of the treatments available to treat malnutrition. This article discusses the identification of malnutrition, treatment and appropriate prescribing, through initiation, monitoring and cessation of oral nutritional supplementation.
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