Page 203 - Petelin, Ana. 2021. Ed. Zdravje starostnikov / Health of the Elderly. Proceedings. Koper: University of Primorska Press.
P. 203
the patient‘s need for regular food intake. A rapid feeling of fullness after a recognizing the importance of nutrition counseling for the elderly with copd in primary care 201
meal causes the diaphragm to flatten, constricting the abdominal organs and
increasing pressure in the stomach. Chronic cough with cough and shortness
of breath further increases energy consumption and promotes malnutrition
(Širca Čampa, 2016).
In COPD patients, protein and energy malnutrition and weight loss are
permanent and even more rapid during exacerbations, and the main causes are
anorexia and increased metabolic activity of the body. A COPD patient‘s diet
should maintain proper nutrition and improve well-being because patients lose
weight due to increased respiratory muscle function and energy expenditure,
while less physical activity and poor patient nutrition decrease muscle mass
and contractility of respiratory muscles. The goals of nutritional support are to
ensure adequate nutrient intake according to individual energy needs, and to
prevent weight loss, daily supplements in the form of oral energy drinks with
high protein content should be included in the daily diet in addition to inade-
quate daily energy intake (Košnik et al., 2011).
Family doctor and COPD patient
The general practitioner (GP) is responsible for the diagnosis of COPD, health
care management and referral to a specialist (Kristan Škrgat et al., 2009). In
the primary care referral clinic, a graduate nurse performs preventive meas-
ures and manages specific groups of patients with chronic diseases, including
COPD. Smokers and ex-smokers over the age of 40 are actively sought out, and
a known COPD patient is seen once a year by a team in a GP referral clinic. Pa-
tients with suspected COPD are managed according to a predetermined pro-
tocol that includes the use of a standard questionnaire and guidelines for ac-
tion based on the outcome (Susuč Poplas et al., 2013). The biggest problem of a
COPD patient suffering from nutrition is protein-energy malnutrition, which
can develop with increased energy and nutrient needs due to impaired lung
function on the one hand and poor appetite of the patient on the other (Mahan,
2011), and non-pharmacological treatment of COPD includes advice on prop-
er nutrition in addition to advice on smoking cessation, vaccination and reha-
bilitation (Škrgat, 2017).
The aim of this study was to determine the importance of nutritional ad-
vice for elderly patients with COPD in primary care. For this purpose, we asked
the following research questions:
- What is the perceived importance of nutritional counseling for old-
er people with COPD in primary care?
- What is the nature of nutritional counseling for older patients with
COPD in primary care?
meal causes the diaphragm to flatten, constricting the abdominal organs and
increasing pressure in the stomach. Chronic cough with cough and shortness
of breath further increases energy consumption and promotes malnutrition
(Širca Čampa, 2016).
In COPD patients, protein and energy malnutrition and weight loss are
permanent and even more rapid during exacerbations, and the main causes are
anorexia and increased metabolic activity of the body. A COPD patient‘s diet
should maintain proper nutrition and improve well-being because patients lose
weight due to increased respiratory muscle function and energy expenditure,
while less physical activity and poor patient nutrition decrease muscle mass
and contractility of respiratory muscles. The goals of nutritional support are to
ensure adequate nutrient intake according to individual energy needs, and to
prevent weight loss, daily supplements in the form of oral energy drinks with
high protein content should be included in the daily diet in addition to inade-
quate daily energy intake (Košnik et al., 2011).
Family doctor and COPD patient
The general practitioner (GP) is responsible for the diagnosis of COPD, health
care management and referral to a specialist (Kristan Škrgat et al., 2009). In
the primary care referral clinic, a graduate nurse performs preventive meas-
ures and manages specific groups of patients with chronic diseases, including
COPD. Smokers and ex-smokers over the age of 40 are actively sought out, and
a known COPD patient is seen once a year by a team in a GP referral clinic. Pa-
tients with suspected COPD are managed according to a predetermined pro-
tocol that includes the use of a standard questionnaire and guidelines for ac-
tion based on the outcome (Susuč Poplas et al., 2013). The biggest problem of a
COPD patient suffering from nutrition is protein-energy malnutrition, which
can develop with increased energy and nutrient needs due to impaired lung
function on the one hand and poor appetite of the patient on the other (Mahan,
2011), and non-pharmacological treatment of COPD includes advice on prop-
er nutrition in addition to advice on smoking cessation, vaccination and reha-
bilitation (Škrgat, 2017).
The aim of this study was to determine the importance of nutritional ad-
vice for elderly patients with COPD in primary care. For this purpose, we asked
the following research questions:
- What is the perceived importance of nutritional counseling for old-
er people with COPD in primary care?
- What is the nature of nutritional counseling for older patients with
COPD in primary care?
