title: Quality Improvement in Clinical Nutrition: Screening and Mealtime Protection for the Hospitalized Patient.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of the quality improvement project was to (1) enhance awareness, accuracy, and use of the validated nutrition screening tool by the nurse and (2) improve compliance to the nutrition care plan that included increasing patient meal intake percentage.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nurses were provided with an in-depth educational program focused on the implementation of the nutrition screening tool on patient admission to the clinical site. Second, a unit-level patient protected mealtime program was implemented in an effort to decrease unnecessary mealtime interruptions and promote nurses and nursing assistants to assist with meals during mealtime to improve patient meal intake percentage and, finally, to encourage collaboration between the clinical nurse specialist, unit level nurses, and registered dietitians to improve patient nutritional care.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results indicate that the quality improvement strategies were successful in promoting the patient protected mealtime program and use of the nutrition screening tool.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The clinical nurse specialist plays a valuable role in program development, implementation, and evaluation to achieve quality healthcare through interdisciplinary collaboration. Adhering to nutrition guidelines for the hospitalized adult patient improves nutrition care plan guidance and meal intake.
authors.affiliation: Author Affiliations: Assistant Professor (Dr Yordy), School of Nursing, Auburn University; and Assistant Professor (Dr Roberts) and Adjunct Faculty (Dr Taggart), Adult Health Nursing Department, College of Nursing, University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama.
authors.forename: Beverly Morgan
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Yordy
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.forename: Helen M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Taggart
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D004435:Eating; D005521:Food Service, Hospital; D019983:Guideline Adherence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000451:nursing* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D062407:Meals; D009720:Nurse Clinicians / Q000523:psychology; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D018673:Nutrition Policy; D058996:Quality Improvement