Making Best Practice, Every Day Practice
There are many fads about specific foods and their ‘super’ vitamins and minerals. Our choice of foods has also widened as supermarkets expand their ranges and previously specialist foods become mainstream. However, even though we can now buy tamarillos, Christmas-cake cheese or cranberry and pecan bread, the principle of proportion remains consistent. So the Eatwell Plate is very helpful in showing patients exactly what we mean when we advise them to follow a ‘healthy, balanced diet’.
Excess body weight is associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer and a range of other debilitating health conditions, and is the third leading cause of death in high-income countries like the UK. Since practice nurses may have long-term, regular contact with patients, they may be well placed to motivate and support individuals in losing weight. It can, however, be difficult for nurses to find the right words to discuss this very sensitive subject with patients.
Malnutrition is a cause and consequence of disease, and affects at least 3 million adults in the UK, most of whom live in the community. By helping these vulnerable patients to eat the right types of food rather than use inappropriate supplements, practice nurses can not only help prevent and treat malnutrition, but also save the NHS millions of pounds each year.
www.leedscommunityhealthcare.nhs.uk
It has become increasingly clear that many people in this country are putting themselves at risk because they are continuing to drink above their recommended weekly units. Most of these people are not drunk drivers in police cells or antisocial drinkers arriving at A&E departments on Saturday night. They are people who come to see […]
Alcohol Concern is the national charity on alcohol misuse for England and Wales, campaigning for effective alcohol policy and improved services for people whose lives are affected by alcohol-related problems.
It has become increasingly clear that many people in this country are putting themselves at risk because they are continuing to drink above their recommended weekly units. Most of these people are not drunk drivers in police cells or antisocial drinkers arriving at A&E departments on Saturday night. They are people who come to see us at our chronic disease clinics or for treatment for an acute illness. The inclusion of questions about alcohol in NHS Health Checks is the ideal opportunity to discuss the potential risks of excessive drinking, and this special issue explains how we can help patients to choose a healthier approach to alcohol.
We are a nation with an alcohol-induced dichotomy: we have a love affair with alcohol but are increasingly aware of its dangers. The pub has been a cornerstone of our society, providing a source of relationships and artistic imagination. However, our nation’s favourite drug is also responsible for as many life-years lost as tobacco, but with additional psychological and socio-economic costs.
NHS Health Checks now include AUDIT-C, a brief screening tool designed to help identify people who may be problem drinkers. Taking the test can be a sobering experience for patients, but now is the time to get a grip on our national relationship with alcohol.
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