Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39551986›Full record

ArticleNutrition & dietetics : the journal of the Dietitians Association of Australia2025

Harnessing delegation and technology to identify and manage malnutrition in a digital hospital: An implementation study.

Jennifer Ellick, Simone McCoy, Hannah Olufson, Amanda Adams, Merrilyn Banks, Adrienne Young

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nutrition & dietetics : the journal of the Dietitians Association of Australia, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Addressing Malnutrition in Australian Hospitals: A Scoping Review to Inform Systems Thinking.Journal of human nutrition and dietetics : the official journal of the British Dietetic Association · 2026
    Article
  4. Observational
  5. Harnessing delegation and technology to identify and manage malnutrition in a digital hospital: An implementation study.Nutrition & dietetics : the journal of the Dietitians Association of Australia · 2025
    Article
  6. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Jennifer EllickDietetics & Food Services, Surgical, Treatment & Rehabilitation Service (STARS), Metro North Health, Herston, Queensland, Australia.
Simone McCoyDietetics & Food Services, Surgical, Treatment & Rehabilitation Service (STARS), Metro North Health, Herston, Queensland, Australia.
Hannah OlufsonDietetics & Food Services, Surgical, Treatment & Rehabilitation Service (STARS), Metro North Health, Herston, Queensland, Australia.ORCID 0000-0001-7679-5709
Amanda AdamsDietetics & Food Services, Surgical, Treatment & Rehabilitation Service (STARS), Metro North Health, Herston, Queensland, Australia.
Merrilyn BanksNutrition Research Collaborative, Royal Brisbane & Women's Hospital, Herston, Queensland, Australia.
Adrienne YoungNutrition Research Collaborative, Royal Brisbane & Women's Hospital, Herston, Queensland, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-4498-4342

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimsDelegation of nutrition care activities to Dietetic Assistants in hospitals has been identified as one innovative malnutrition model of care, but there has been limited evaluation of their roles. This study aimed to develop, implement and evaluate a new Malnutrition Model of Care embracing automated delegation and digital systems.

methodsThe Malnutrition Model of Care was created to detect patients at risk of malnutrition (using the Malnutrition Screening Tool) and nutritional decline (via routine intake tracking at all meals and snacks). Digital systems generated automated referrals to dietetics, with protocols to support Dietetic Assistants to action these to direct care escalation to the ward dietitian. Dietetic Assistant training included simulations and clinical task instructions. Implementation evaluation was guided by the Donabedian model of quality and included a review of inpatient dietetics occasions of service, survey of Dietetic Assistant role satisfaction and task confidence, and hospital-wide cross-sectional malnutrition audit. Data was descriptively analysed.

resultsDuring the first year of implementation, 60% of Dietetics inpatient occasions of service were completed by Dietetic Assistants, with 26% of Dietetic Assistant inpatient tasks initiated from nursing malnutrition risk screening. Most Dietetic Assistants reported adequate training and confidence in completing delegated tasks. Malnutrition prevalence was 14% with no hospital-acquired malnutrition identified. No clinical incidents were reported.

conclusionsThe Dietetic Assistant workforce and technology were harnessed to implement an innovative delegated Malnutrition Model of Care that appears to be safe and effective at managing malnutrition from preliminary evaluation. Work continues to formally assess service efficiencies, cost and patient experience.

Indexed as

DieteticsMalnutritionCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHospitalsHumansNutrition AssessmentNutritionistsReferral and Consultationdelegationdieteticsdigital hospitalmalnutritionmodels of carerehabilitation

Identifiers

PMID39551986
PMCPMC11973620

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.