The Malnutrition Pathway

Malnutrition arising from the effects of a disease, medical condition or old age, affects millions of people in the UK and worldwide. The Malnutrition Pathway is dedicated to developing resources and tools, for use by health and social care teams, to ensure that malnutrition, which left untreated can hamper an individual’s quality of life, is identified and treated at the earliest opportunity. We work with experts in the field of malnutrition to ensure our resources are evidence-based and regularly updated. Our two main guidelines ‘Managing Adult Malnutrition in the Community’ guidance and ‘Managing Malnutrition in COPD’ are endorsed by professional and patient organisations and include pathways for identifying and treating malnutrition as well as a guide to assist in the appropriate use of oral nutritional supplements. In recent years we have extended the resources to include fully referenced complimentary fact sheets and web-based resources covering falls, dysphagia, sarcopenia, COVID-19 and cancer. Our range of patient materials help ensure dietary information is selected according to level of risk of malnutrition. There are also top tips on dealing with issues that commonly interfere with the ability to eat. Since its launch in 2012 our website has received over a quarter of a million visits from professionals, patients and carers in over 150 countries. It has seen yearly growth in visits and downloads, reflecting the continued need for practical guidance to help the healthcare team to treat those at risk of malnutrition, the majority of whom live in the community. We work closely with national organisations and local NHS trusts to help tackle the issue of disease-related malnutrition and are grateful to all the professional and patient organisations who have endorsed our guidelines and assist us in disseminating information. We are keen to work with other like-minded professionals and welcome input into our materials and the sharing of initiatives.