Introduction
Many healthcare researchers and practitioners are concerned with finding the most effective interventions to improve nutritional status, which is the topic of this paper. It is significant to answer the following question: What type of interventions improve adherence to recommendations on nutritional intake?
The need to explore the topic stems from a mutual connection between people’s diseases and their dietary choices. Thus, having a particular condition can negatively affect a patient’s eating habits, and poor nutrition is a risk factor for many illnesses, which is why this is a significant problem. In their article, Santo et al. (2018) discuss a complex intervention, whereas this writing seeks to analyze the study by Nguyen et al. (2019), which proposes a much simpler intervention.
Article Search
The database used to find the article by Nguyen et al. (2019) was Taylor & Francis Online. To ensure that the studies were recent, a date range of January 1, 2019, to August 19, 2023, was selected, and only open-access papers were searched. Further, considering the topic and research question, the keywords were “improve nutritional status quality of life.” The database showed 3,662 results for the search with the mentioned filters and keywords.
Article Findings
The selected paper outlines methods to address malnutrition in Vietnamese patients with COPD, but its findings can benefit all patients with COPD and individuals with other conditions. To address the main topic, Nguyen et al. (2019) conducted an observational cross-sectional study exploring dietary patterns, malnutrition statuses, and the effects of proposed interventions on outpatients visiting the National Lung Hospital. The authors employed a mixed-methods approach to answer their research question.
As for their findings, Nguyen et al. (2019) state that malnutrition is prevalent among COPD patients, and their consumption of protein and enough calories is poor due to cultural stereotypes and traditional beliefs. The article concludes that providing thorough dietary advice on the number of meals, protein intake, and a wider variety of foods is the most effective intervention to improve nutritional status. This study was chosen because it best fit the search parameters and also provided interesting information about the described intervention.
Evidence for Practice
The evidence provided by the researchers relates to the high rates of lactose intolerance among the Vietnamese elderly, which prevents them from consuming enough protein and makes dairy-based supplements inappropriate. Therefore, advising them to increase the number of daily meals and consume other types of protein seems to be the best option for Nguyen et al. (2019). This evidence will enhance the practice as medical professionals will know how to improve the nutritional status of their patients without requiring additional resources. Thus, the gap in quality of life between COPD patients and others will be reduced. The only concern is that such an approach relies on evidence based on lactose intolerance in the specific population and may not be effective for other patients.
Sharing of Evidence
It is essential to share this information with outpatient Vietnamese clinics, particularly those treating patients with COPD. Healthcare centers in other countries should also have access to this evidence to implement the recommendations provided by Nguyen et al. (2019). Social networks and personal meetings can help share information, and the necessary resources include access to the Internet, contacts with clinics, and social media accounts. Lastly, sharing this evidence with the nursing profession is important because nurses can educate clients about their dietary patterns, improving patient outcomes.
Conclusion
To conclude, finding effective interventions to address malnutrition is crucial because a better nutritional status is associated with improved health, well-being, and a higher quality of life. Nguyen et al. (2019) suggest that comprehensive dietary advice on food choices is the most effective option compared to dairy-based supplements. It can help patients with COPD and lactose intolerance enhance their health and eat more nutritious meals. It would be beneficial to share the study’s findings with health centers worldwide to inform them about the effectiveness of this simple intervention.
References
Nguyen, H. T., Collins, P. F., Pavey, T. G., Nguyen, N. V., Pham, T. D., & Gallegos, D. L. (2019). Nutritional status, dietary intake, and health-related quality of life in outpatients with COPD. International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, 14, 215-226.
Santo, K., Hyun, K., Keizer, L., Thiagalingam, A., Hillis, G., Chalmers, J., Redfern, J., & Chow, C. (2018). The effects of a lifestyle-focused text-messaging intervention on adherence to dietary guideline recommendations in patients with coronary heart disease: An analysis of the TEXT ME study. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 15(45).
