September 26, 2023, Silver Spring,
MD: Data released today by the
American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN) show continued
exponential growth and reach of its Malnutrition Awareness Week™ (MAW) program.
With over 18,200 registrations for MAW educational webinars and a multitude of
other activities, the messages on the importance of malnutrition detection and
intervention reached more than 802 million.
“In 2012,
ASPEN saw a need to raise awareness about malnutrition and its confounding
effects on individuals’ health, the economy, and communities, resulting in the
creation of Malnutrition Awareness Week. From the inaugural presentation of two
webinars and one podcast, the MAW program has expanded not only in breadth and
depth but also its reach across the US and internationally. I am gratified by
the growth of the program and the ever-increasing participation of the
international nutrition community,” shared Ainsley Malone, MS, RD, LD, CNSC,
FAND, FASPEN, ASPEN Clinical Practice Specialist and liaison to the ASPEN
Malnutrition Committee.
With the
theme “Nutrition Care Is a Patient Right,” ASPEN launched this year’s program
with five diverse and topical webinars that delivered vital patient care
information and provided continuing education credits to participating
dietitians, physicians, nurses, and pharmacists.
Six
additional webinars were developed, including a Spanish presentation by the
Ibero Latin American Section, joint presentations with ASPEN and the American
Gastroenterological Association and ASPEN and the Canadian Nutrition Society,
and a recorded program on malnutrition and inflammatory bowel disease in
collaboration with the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation.
An
expansive list of new resources was also added to the ASPEN Malnutrition Solution Center for healthcare professionals and consumers. It contains useful
tools to help clinicians detect, diagnose, and treat disease-related
malnutrition along with tip sheets for clinicians to share with patients.
“The MAW
program is a highlight of the year with its broad range of topics and speakers.
It’s an honor to provide timely education to clinicians from around the world,”
said Carolyn Newberry, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Director of GI
Nutrition, Innovative Center for Health and Nutrition in Gastroenterology,
Weill Cornell Medical Center. “With its diverse, daily programming, MAW
delivers actionable information without a major time commitment.”
Dr.
Newberry was a faculty member on this year’s most popular webinar,
“Malnutrition in the Patient With Obesity: How to Address the Under
Recognition,” providing valuable insight to almost 3,600 registrants around the
world.
MAW Ambassadors Expand ASPEN’s
Reach
“The
registration numbers for our webinars reflect only a fraction of the impact MAW
is having. Our innovative ‘ambassador’ program provides healthcare-related
organizations and like-minded societies complimentary access to our MAW educational
webinars and resources in exchange for sharing our MAW messages with their
colleagues and communities,” noted ASPEN President, Phil Ayers, PharmD, BCNSP,
FMSHP, FASHP. “Many healthcare professionals get minimal nutrition education
and training, and MAW is a program ASPEN created to help fill this void.”
Along with
the MAW tools provided by ASPEN, many ambassadors also created custom
presentations for their colleagues and hosted informational events tailored for
their patients, hospital visitors, and communities.
“This
collaboration with ambassadors expands and amplifies the work of the
Malnutrition Committee, ASPEN members, corporate sponsors, and society and
media partners who make this week possible. They all deserve our thanks for
shining a spotlight on malnutrition,” added Dr. Ayers. This year, 196 US and
international organizations joined as ambassadors.
In the Midwest
“MAW is
invaluable in helping me spread and sustain awareness of malnutrition at our
small, rural hospital. It provides talking points and resources to improve
processes and make malnutrition a multidisciplinary focus, which ultimately
contributes to improving patient outcomes. It also inspires me every year to
keep doing the hard work in ensuring that malnutrition remains a focus within
patient care,” shared Suzanne Fleming, MS, RDN, LD; Registered Dietitian,
McPherson Hospital/McPherson Center for Health, McPherson, Kansas.
In the Middle East
“Being an
ambassador for the fourth year in a row provided our passionate society members
with a valuable opportunity to increase their awareness about malnutrition,
which is one of the most important global challenges in the modern era,”
claimed Maha Assal, BCNSP, Head of the Egyptian Society of Nutrition
Pharmacists, Adjunct Lecturer of Clinical Nutrition, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tanta
University, Tanta, Egypt.
“MAW
reinforced our knowledge about the significance of nutrition in medical
treatment. It also spotlighted guidelines and practices for identifying,
assessing, and managing malnutrition. The focus on improving collaboration
among healthcare professionals will pave the way for our members to emphasize
discussions and exchange perspectives within our interdisciplinary teams.”
“Thank you,
ASPEN. I hope our collaboration will continue for years to come.”
Reaching and Informing Legislators
Ambassadors
and ASPEN members also asked the governors of 46 states, the District of
Columbia, and Puerto Rico to proclaim September 18-22, 2023, as Malnutrition
Awareness Week. More than a perfunctory gesture, these proclamations provided
lawmakers with important facts and figures on the human and financial cost of
undiagnosed malnutrition.
The U.S.
House of Representatives got the message, too, when Congresswoman Suzanne
Bonamici (D-Ore.-1) introduced a Malnutrition Awareness Week resolution, laying
important groundwork for hearings on healthcare legislations including the
Preserving Patient Access to Home Infusion Act and the Safe Step Act.
Visit the ASPEN Take Action page to voice your support for these important legislations.
Inspiring International
Associations
The success
of ASPEN’s initiative is also reflected in the growing number of international
nutritional associations that are holding their own Malnutrition Awareness
Weeks. “These organizations have seen how effective MAW is in educating
healthcare professionals and focusing attention on malnutrition. ASPEN has
clearly provided a template for including nutrition as an integral and vital
part of patient care,” said Dr. Ayers.
Mark Your Calendars
Next year,
Malnutrition Awareness Week will be held September 16–20. Use #ASPENMAW24 to
spread the word.
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About ASPEN
The
American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN) is dedicated to
improving patient care by advancing the science and practice of nutrition
support therapy and metabolism. Founded in 1976, ASPEN is an interdisciplinary
organization whose members are involved in the provision of clinical nutrition
therapies, including parenteral and enteral nutrition. With members from around
the world, ASPEN is a community of dietitians, nurses, nurse practitioners,
pharmacists, physicians, scientists, students, and other health professionals
from every facet of nutrition support clinical practice, research, and
education. Learn more.
Contact
Stephanie Lee
Director
of Marketing and Communications