ADVERTORIAL
Supported by Abbott
particularly in the context of post-operative hip fracture patients . These studies have seen an improvement in muscle strength , wound healing and mobility at 30 days which is an impressive response .
Obviously , nutrition is essential , but can you tell us who else is in the management team at your falls and fractures clinic , aside from medical staff ? And do you see the multidisciplinary team as part of the success of getting the right outcomes ?
We have a fracture liaison nurse and an exercise physiologist . We do the mini nutritional assessment on all our patients . We aim to identify who is at risk and refer them to the dietitian for further assessment if we consider it appropriate . I love that we have the opportunity to identify and value the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to our patients . We are treating people with multidimensional problems – they are not only biological , but are also physical , social and nutritional . We have to approach all these dimensions via a well-integrated , multidisciplinary team .
What do you think would be your key take-home messages about the three Fs : falls , fractures and frailty ?
1 . For all older persons , think about their risk of falls , fractures and frailty .
2 . Proactively look for their symptoms using simple tools and suggest a bone mineral density scan in patients who are older than 70 . You will be surprised at the number of people who have osteoporosis .
3 . Start interventions . We have a great opportunity with nutrition interventions . We know that nutritional interventions that combine HMB , vitamin D , calcium and protein have a major impact on muscle and bone , and that will be translated into reduction of fractures .
The field is now understanding something very interesting : bones could regulate muscle , because muscle regulates bones . We used to think bone was just for structure , but we now know it ’ s biologically active .
ANZ . 2021.19263 . ENS . 1 ( v1.0 )
© Dietitian Connection 15 Infuse | October 2021